Small Changes
by jon1305
Summary: With the rumor of an alternative way back to the other dimension where Balthazar is watching over the eliatrope people, Yugo rushed headlong into trying to find out the secrets of a peculiar ruin. What will be waiting for him in the crumbling crypt? WARNING: Spoilers up to S3. This is a commission AU for a close friend
1. Chapter 1

Small Changes

Time is a very funny concept. People will live their whole lives chasing the idea of having control of one of the greatest powers in the universe, only to find themselves lost in the realization of powerlessness. Those who believe that time to be the greatest tool available to mankind, passing unnoticed by many, waiting for someone brave enough to wield it, have all taken up masks and pledged their allegiance to the great god Xelor. Whether you want to believe in control over time, it is accepted that everyone grows older. Some start early, whereas other finish later; the great race of one lifetime is brought up with every countdown to a new year, or every wish made on a birthday cake.

It usually tends to be those who have experienced a longer life that wishes for some control over time; pleading with their gods for "one more chance", or "just a little bit longer". Children, however, do not feel the same way. Distracted by a wide range of new experiences, and the promise of an eternity of days before them, kids don't heed too much mind towards time. But what about those who do? Where would a child turn for comfort from the inevitability of time?

Summers in Emelka seem to come and go faster than the townsfolk wish. The children of the town have frolicked and played in the high summer sun for weeks now, and are threatened by the upcoming start of the new school year. The parents of the village are all preparing to return to the continued weekly schedule involved in preparing for the colder seasons, as well as tending to the harvest. For a simple farming village like Emelka, the promise of changing leaves and colder breezes holds a greater impact than lives in the city.

Children know of the diminishing amount of warm weather remaining and intend to enjoy every moment of what they have left. Giggling and laughter can be heard from the park near the edge of town; a collection spot for nearly all the kids of the town. The creaking of swing chains, the crunch of gravel rocks, and bouncing of balls can be heard echoing through the hills.

Despite the enticement of fun, two boys can be seen walking right past the park, towards the hills that stretch for miles. One of the boys, adorned with a blue horned hat, casts a long gaze from his hilltop trail out of town, down towards the park. As they pass along on their way to a wooden archway, the second boy, a white-skinned dragon, notices his companion's staring, and nudges his.

"Don't worry Yugo. Chibi and Grougal will be fine. If you want, I can push you on the swings when we get back."

Yugo turned around and punched the other boy in the arm. "Ad, I'm not a child anymore."

Adamai nodded, smiling. "Right, old enough to push yourself. Gotcha. I'm sure Amalia would be super impressed."

Yugo rolled his eyes. "I'm nineteen. Someone my age shouldn't be playing little kids games. This has nothing to do with Amalia."

"' _Someone my age'_ , as if you're already dad's age. And are you sure this doesn't? We're going on a potentially dangerous mission, just the two of us. If it's not to help show how brave and mature you can be, then what is the reason," Adamai asked shrugging.

"Of course, it doesn't! Firstly, it isn't dangerous. We're just going to inspect a very old legend that happens to be inside a very old tomb; perfectly safe. Secondly, if there is any kind of danger, I am certain that we are more than enough to take care of it. Thirdly, I don't need to prove to you, Amalia, or anyone how mature I am. After what happened at Mount Zinit, twice, and the blank dimension…" Yugo balled his hands into fists and stood still, staring at the ground.

Adamai turned around and grabbed his brother in a tight hug. "I didn't mean it, bro. I know what you went through, and I know how you feel about Amalia. Heck, she might be the only one of the brotherhood that _doesn't_ know. I just wish there was something I could do; some way to help you. But you have time give things like this time. If you want it to last, then you can't rush it."

Yugo sniffled and took a deep breath. Smiling up at his brother, he hugged him back. "Thanks, Adamai. It can just get frustrating at times. Let's just try to focus on our mission right now. We take the zaap portal to the dark forest, go in the front door, check around for anything useful to help explain the rumor, and get home before dark."

"So, we're raiding an old burial site, looting anything interesting, and running away? Isn't that called desecration?"

Yugo shook his head. "Not if the rumors are true. Then we have nothing to worry about. There's the portal." Yugo took out a tiny magical bean and threw it towards the wooden archway. A bright burst of light swirled around the arch, covering the blanks space with a silvery water-like mirror. A blurry vision of half-dead trees and dark green moss could be seen on the other side.

Yugo looked over to his brother, smiled, then jumped through towards the silvery portal. Adamai stood in place for a second and sighed before walking after Yugo.

The world around them darkened exponentially, images swirling above them until they landed firmly with a slight squish. The blue sky of Emelka was replaced with a dark, overcast gray, and the lush green grass had grown a disgusting mixture of brown and olive green. Nearly all the trees had no signs of life, half wilted and barren. The forest seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. In front of the boys was an old dirt path which drove directly into the heart of the trees.

Yugo saw his brother arrive, waved his arm beaconing his to follow, and started down the path into the woods. As the two walked along the path, Adamai pulled out a map from his side bag strapped to his hip and read over the contents to familiarize himself with the surroundings, with minimal help.

"Bro, I can't make out what kind of landmarks I'm supposed to be looking for. These trees all look exactly like the last one. How am I supposed to tell the difference between these symbols? Where did you even get this wrinkled old piece o- "Adamai was cut off by a sudden rock in the path. Tripping over it, Adamai landed on the dirt with a low thud.

Yugo turned around and laughed lightly. "First marker, the tripping stone. We're on the right path. I can read the map if you're having difficulty." Yugo held out his arm and helped his brother up.

"Yeah, sure," he said handing over the map. "How are you doing about this forest? It seems pretty dark and scary."

Yugo smiled. "Well... promise not to laugh? I trick myself into saying it's daytime, so the sun is out right now; just hiding behind the clouds. Plus, you're here. I know nothing will happen to me if you're by my side. It is why I chose you to come along.

Adamai was taken aback at the kind words his brother spoke. He could feel their strong bond ever since they first met, and ever since, their bond has grown stronger. Adamai found out about Yugo's fear of the dark when he was still little. He noticed how it didn't bother him if there was someone else by his side; the whole reason they now share a bedroom.

Adamai felt a warmth in his chest and smiled. "Dude, that's so nice of you to say."

"Well it's true," Yugo said walking along the path, pointing to a spot on the map. "We're almost there. Just a little bit further."

Walking along the dirt road, trees passing to either side, the boys notice a clearing coming up ahead. They come upon a large circular opening in the trees and can see a vine-covered, mostly crumbled stone building. The highest wall only reached eight feet into the air, with a view of stairs descending into the earth. There are two wall-mounted torches on either side of the entrance to the building, long since put out.

Yugo reached the opening and pulled the torches from their sockets. He handed one to Adamai, who breathed fire over the tips of them. A flash of light and warmth encompassed the boys like a hug. Prepared to continue, they start walking down the stairs, making sure not to trip on any of the large vines.

On their descent, the walls had grown darker, nearly covered entirely in old vines and dirt. About fifty feet down, they reach a landing of a hallway that stretched forwards. The boys carefully continued, following the glow of their torches as they flickered off the ancient looking stones.

"So, run me through this legend again. What' so special about this grave," Adamai said slightly worried.

"The townsfolk of a nearby town say that this building has been here long before their first settlement of their land. There were nearly no hints as to who could have made it, nor any other evidence of someone living within a day's trip of this place. They gathered a small party and tried exploring this place. Not only did they lose six people to the traps protecting the entrance, but- "

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, SLOW DOWN! LOST… to TRAPS? You didn't mention how this place was booby-trapped!" Adamai sounded annoyed to just hearing about this now.

Yugo nodded, stopping in his tracks. "Would you have let me come if I mentioned it was even a little bit dangerous? Plus, you need to hear the rest of the story. After passing the traps, the remaining adventurers found the first hints as to who built this. They saw carvings on the walls of people jumping through circles and appearing at other parts of the wall. Sound like someone you know?"

Adamai thought for a moment, then widened his eyes. "You're telling me that Eliatropes built this place? Great, so we get to die in a crumbling old grave built just for us."

Yugo chuckled lightly. "You don't get it. If Eliatropes built this place, then it could hold some hints about our people that we didn't know before. I had to check this place out, just to give it a chance. We haven't heard from Balthazar ever since I saw him. I'm growing impatient."

Adamai placed his hand on Yugo's shoulder, trying to show him some sense. "Bro, I know you really want to help Balthazar and our people, but he said he'd show up when you and the World of Twelve are ready. If you try too hard to assist in a plan that you know nothing about, you might just make it harder for them all to come when it's time. And getting yourself killed won't bring them back here any faster."

Yugo could see that his brother was starting to worry. He could feel Adamai's grip tighten on his shoulder, as well as see the look in his eye; Adamai was scared. It wasn't very often that he would show this kind of expression for anyone. Adamai tended to be quicker to anger than worry. "Adamai, please. Just let me look around for a bit. If it gets too dangerous-looking, then we can turn back and go home. I just think that not giving this place a chance would be a waste of whoever built this place. Don't you think it's even slightly odd that a race of people which can be reincarnated would build a grave, so intricately hidden and far away from everything else?"

Adamai thought on this for a moment, realizing how odd it sounded. After a few moments of silence, and Adamai rubbing his chin, he spoke up saying "We'll give it a try. But on the FIRST sign of something wrong…"

"Thanks, Ad," Yugo said smiling.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the two boys enter a large rectangular room. There were burnt markings on the wall to the left, and a giant boulder half-embedded in the floor slightly ahead of them. Adamai looked around at the aftermath of what the previous adventurers had left and glared over at Yugo, who is beaming with excitement. They carefully step around the rubble and cracked tiles strewn across the room, and arrive at a wooden door on the opposite wall. The door looked to be hundreds of years old, at least. The wood was dusty and looked as if someone could get a splinter just from staring at it for too long. The boys put their torches on the wall mounts that were on either side of the door.

Trying to push it open, Yugo grunted with his shoulder pressed against the wood; the door not moving. "It won't budge. Ad, could you try and break it down?"

Adamai had grown bigger and more muscular than his 'younger' brother. As a dragon, he had a few growth spurts ahead of him. He joked frequently that Yugo had the exact opposite effect. Being relatively the same height and size as when he was twelve, only Yugo's vocabulary would give his true age away. Adamai would poke fun at Yugo by calling him adorable nicknames; ones that made him sound even squishier.

"Alright, you jelly bean. Stand back." Yugo narrowed his eyes at Adamai, stepping clear out of the way.

Adamai flexed his right arm, focusing his strength into one good hit, reared back, and punched the door right near where a knob would be. As soon as his fist made contact, splinters flew around the doorway as the old wood gave in, swinging open wildly.

"Ha! A piece of cake," Adamai said, brushing his arm free of wood chips. Stepping carefully around the remnants of the door, the two boys enter a circular room. In the center of it was a small wooden chest sitting on a pedestal, with a crack in the ceiling letting a beam of light shine down upon it.

"No. Hell no. That looks booby-trapped as all get out! This is like every Professor Indiana Hones movie ever," Adamai said crossing his arms, making sure to stand in the doorway, a safe distance from the chest.

Yugo laughed, walking towards the chest. "Except I'm not a sram, and you're not a tall, ditzy dancer lady who's only around to complain about everything."

" _Oh Indy_ ," Adamai said in an exaggerated fake whine, while seductively leaning against the doorway.

"Let me try something first." Yugo closed his eyes, breathed deeply, before opening them again; his eyes glowing white. The whole room went dark for him, except for a faint mist emanating from the walls around them. He tried to see if they were from a hole in the wall, but it appeared as if the walls themselves were steaming. He looked over at the chest, and could only see a small circular object inside.

"Anything weird," Adamai asked, keeping his spot at the doorway.

"Yeah, the walls almost look like they're oozing some kind of mist; almost like they're faintly glowing. But the chest is nearly empty. There is something small inside it, but I'd have to open it to find out." Yugo blinked again, his eyes returning to normal.

Yugo kneeled in front of the chest, staring at the old box, wondering which eliatrope would have made such a simple looking lock. He slowly reached out for the small metal latch, taking his time to be cautious. As soon as his hand touched the metal, Yugo reared back screaming and shaking as if he were being shocked.

"Yugo!" Adamai had reached for his brother and pushed him aside, out of reach of the chest. Yugo fell to the ground laughing out loud, making the dragonling confused.

"Got you, brother," Yugo chuckled.

Adamai huffed slightly angry that his brother would mess with his emotions. He turned, and stomped out of the room.

"No, please stay. It was funny," Yugo called after his brother. "I'll open this thing without you then…"

After a few seconds, Adamai returned with his arms folded, leaning against the doorway once more; glaring at his brother.

Yugo moved back in front of the chest, unhooking the latch that kept the chest closed. As soon as he opened the box, a cloud of dust flew out at him, covering the eliatrope, making Yugo sneeze. Yugo's sneezes were high-pitched, and often marked by his friends as being 'totally adorable'. He sneezed a few more times, hearing laughter from behind him. He looked at Adamai who was holding back his laughter, trying to stay angry about before.

"Serves you right Yugo. Call it karma," Adamai said with his hand covering his mouth and nose as to not breath in the hundreds of years old dust.

Yugo brushed off the dust from his face and reached the bottom of the chest to pull out a necklace. Holding it up in the light, he could get a better look at the treasure. The necklace was made of a very thin string holding up a small glass circle with a golden border.

"It looks like some kind of oculus. Try looking through it," Adamai said, staring at the object.

Yugo brushed his hair out of his face, and held it up against his eye, in Adamai's direction. "AHH! You look hideous; all kinds of deformed and gross… Oh wait," Yugo took it away from his eye. "Never mind, that's how you normally look."

Adamai gave Yugo an unamused look. "Try it on the walls."

Yugo held it up again and noticed the walls were oozing a bluish mist in different spots along the walls. He closes his eyes again, concentrated, and opened them, turning on his Wakfu sight. With the combined effort of his magic and the oculus, pictures started to form on the rock walls of the room.

Yugo stood up slowly, walked closer to the pictures, and ran his hand along them. It seemed as if they were magically written into the stones. There were pictures of portals, and people with pointed hats jumping through them. Further along the wall, there were scenes of another world beyond a portal, full of grass and flowers, where all the people were collected.

Yugo jumped slightly to the feeling of his brother's hand on his shoulder. "What do you see Yugo?"

"It's our people Ad. I think these pictures tell a story of how they got to the other world; the one they're at now. I think there's a way to get there again. But I don't see anything about the cube."

"Could that mean we don't need it to get back there?"

"I don't know. I need to keep looking." Yugo was reading the pictures as best as he could. Some of them were faded from the stones being chipped away, or from years of staying dormant.

Adamai noticed how the light shining from the ceiling was starting to fade. "Hey, we should get back. It's going to be dinner time by the time we get home. We can come back here again another time."

Yugo rubbed his eyes, returning them to normal. Using his powers for elongated periods of time tired him out. He had tried to train with Adamai, but without a real teacher, they could only do so much. He put the necklace over his head and tucked it under his shirt. Nodding at his brother, they leave the room, pick up their torches, and continue back out the way they came in.

The entire trip back to town was filled with rantings from Yugo about what the pictures could have meant. Adamai knew better than to interrupt, so he just let his brother talk on and on, clearly excited about the possibilities of being able to return to Balthazar and their people. Yugo rambled about the rumor of the stone building being true, and how it was probably one of the Council of Six eliatrope leaders who built the place. He continued talking about how he would have to return to draw each of the pictures, and study every inch of the circular room just to make sure they didn't miss anything.

Adamai would smile and nod whenever Yugo would turn towards his direction but quietly thought to himself about what this discovery would mean. With the holiday season approaching, Adamai hadn't planned to be anywhere but home. This newfound knowledge of some secret portal to the other dimension would certainly mean another adventure would soon follow.

Once they passed back through the zaap portal, they were nearly blinded by the contrast in colors from the dead woods to the grassy hills of Emelka. The sky had been splattered with hues of orange and purple as the sun fell below the horizon.

As the boys passed the playground, they motioned towards Chibi and Grougal to follow them. As the two younger boys were walking towards the road, Adamai turned to Yugo and said sternly "Bro, I know how awesome this all is, but please, for my sake, just take your time. There is no need to rush into this. If you promise to slow down, then I'll promise to help you any way that I can."

Yugo thought it over for a second, then smiled extending his hand. "Deal." Catching his breath for what felt like the first time since they left the tomb.

Adamai shook Yugo's hand right as Chibi and Grougal arrived. Paying no mind to what deal the older two boys just struck, the younger boys continued their conversation from the playground; something about dragons being better than magicians.

Once all four boys came into the kitchen, they saw their father cleaning up from the dinner rush, and preparing the table for his sons. "Hi papa," the younger boys called, running towards their father for a hug.

"Oh, hey there little ones. I was just about to come find you." Alibert noticed the dirt on the small boys' clothes, as well as the dust on Yugo's. "It looks like your guys' day was filled with excitement. I'll run a bath for you all after dinner. Please wash your hands; it's almost ready."

The five of them all sat down and regaled their father with what they all did; Grougal proclaiming his proficiency in aerial somersaults, and Chibi with his story of following ants to a nearby anthill. Yugo explained what they found, as well as showed off their newest treasure. At the mention of treasure, Chibi and Grougal imagined chests filled with gold coin, or jewels as big as their fists. Seeing such a tiny trophy, they were disappointed. Alibert however, was more than excited to hear about all that they found.

Alibert was a very supportive father to Yugo but worried constantly whenever he would go off on adventures. He reached the same conclusion that Adamai had, about how Yugo would want to rush headfirst into his next big adventure over this discovery. He also knew full well that once Yugo made his mind up about something, there was almost nothing in the world that could stop him; not his father, or brother, or The Brotherhood itself. Accepting how his son was growing up, and old enough to make his own decisions was the hardest step for Alibert. Being a slightly clingy parent, letting go was the biggest challenge for his so far.

Once they were done with dinner, the children helped clean up as their father drew up a bath, setting four towels by the tub for them. Ever since they were little, the boys liked to bathe together. They didn't seem to mind, and it saved a bit on the amount of hot water. Grougal especially loved to play in the bath, using his boat toys and pretending to be a fearsome sea monster. Being a young dragon, he had often tried to act as if he was older than he was. This got him in trouble frequently. But thanks to Adamai, he could have a supportive older dragon to teach him what not to do.

The boys deposited their clothes in a hamper and jumped into the steaming warm water. Chibi tossed his hat aside, but Yugo kept his on. Chibi had grown innocently comfortable with his own body, not ashamed of the tiny wings adorned on his eliatrope head. Yugo, however, did not have the same feeling. He felt different ever since he was little, and didn't want to be pointed out as being the one child with something special. During baths, while he slept, and even around his own family, Yugo kept his hat on. He would often forgo cleaning his hair until it was too matted and dirty; in which case, he'd wash by himself, in the comfortable privacy of a shower.

The kids all enjoyed a hot soak after their long day, soaping away the dust and dirt from their travels. Alibert would offer to wash their hair, making sure not to get any suds into their eyes. The one time he allowed the boys to wash their own hair, Grougal spilled half of the soap into the bath water to make more bubbles, nearly flooding the tiled room with suds. It took Alibert hours to clean up after the soap residue. Ever since then, he would wash their hair.

Once they were all cleaned, dried off, and dressed in their pajamas, the kids all brushed their teeth as Alibert chose a story to read to them. Alibert went around the room tucking each of the kids in before sitting in an armchair facing the boys. It was only about a quarter of the way through the story that the kids had fallen asleep. Alibert quietly kissed each of the boys on the head and tiptoed out of the room.

Alibert loved his kids but secretly wished that they would stay this young forever. It was easy now with the kids all understanding their roles, curfew, and rules. But he knew that once they were older, the moody arguments and teenaged rebellion were a possibility. He just wished that they stayed as sweet and innocent as they were now. As Alibert fell asleep, he said a silent prayer for Yugo and whatever secrets the ruins had to offer.

The night was peaceful and quiet, with a light breeze gently preparing the clouds for the next day. Summer was counting down its final days, and soon it would start to get colder. The forecast called for rain for the next few days. This front would remove the remaining grasp of temperature that Summer had to offer.

As the sun rose upon a new day, the animals of the land sprung to life, embracing the light's warmth fully. The boys, however, did not. Alibert had always woken up before the children and needed to assist in waking them up. The two little ones woke up groggily without much opposition, but he always had to ask twice or three times to get the older boy up. Alibert drew the curtains to the children's room, asking the sunrise to assist in waking the kids up.

One by one, they would roll out of bed, and make their way downstairs for breakfast. "Get up lazy butt," Adamai jested as he left Yugo alone in their room.

Yugo tried rolling back to sleep but felt the subtle pain of hunger set in. Food was more important than sleep on some days, and Yugo loved to eat more than his fill of it. Ad had often joked at how similar Yugo's eating habits were to that of a hibernating animal, to which Yugo would rebuttal with a joke about winter being around the corner.

Yugo half-awake stepped over to his dresser, and changed out his pajamas to his daily clothes, making sure to keep his new treasure hanging around his neck. He wasn't going to part with it for a long time. He had noticed how loosely his shirt and pants had felt, and inspected his belly and hips puzzled. Interrupted by the sound of his grumbling stomach, he grabbed a spare cloth belt and tied it around his waist as well as his rope belt for his pants, and tightened them slightly further past usual.

On his way to the bathroom, Yugo reached out for the doorknob to the bathroom, missing it with his hand, but catching it with his shoulder. Wincing, he grabbed his shoulder and continued to the sink. While brushing his teeth, he stared at himself in the mirror, feeling something was slightly off. His reflection would normally be centered in the mirror, but today, he was lower than normal. After thinking through what would possibly be the cause, he remembered his electrocution prank he pulled on Adamai yesterday and wrote off these weird happenings as Ad trying to get back at him. He would have to press his older brother for an explanation later. Washing his toothbrush off, he rounded the corner and ran towards the kitchen.

Once downstairs, he saw his father preparing for lunch for the restaurant, while the boys were preparing their own breakfast of grains and fruit.

Adamai saw Yugo and smirked. "Nice change of outfit. I love the new you look."

Yugo rolled his eyes. "For some reason, my clothes are looser than I remember. I'm not exactly sure why, though. They were fine yesterday…"

"Well, maybe you're finally losing all of that pudgy 'baby fat' that you so desperately held on to. I can't tell if you look taller. Maybe it's a pre-growth spurt."

"Funny you mention growing taller. You wouldn't have done anything with the doors or the mirror would you," Yugo hoped for an easy answer to this morning's happenings.

Adamai shook his head. "Haven't a clue what you're talking about. Both seemed fine to me today."

Yugo squinted his eyes, sure that something was up. He was shortly interrupted by a tugging at his pant leg. Looking to his left, he saw Chibi pointing up to a taller shelf where the bowls were located. Nodding, Yugo reached for one but came up short. Standing on his tiptoes, he could just barely reach the stack of bowls. Pulling them slowly towards him, he nearly fell trying to balance, pulling the four bowls to the floor.

Luckily Adamai was nearby watching. He dove for them before they shattered, and caught the three that were about to crash. He looked up at Yugo holding a single bowl, looking just as confused as he was.

Yugo stared at the higher shelf, then down to the bowl. "Something feels off…"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And I'm back! I've finally settled into my new home in a far, far away country. With some extra time, my friend Mizu and I have been working on a story concept together. Instead of throwing it onto the pile of unfinished ideas, I decided it would be great to work alongside someone for a change. Mizu has been such a great help so far, and I look forward to working with him for the rest of the chapters.

Characters and setting belong to Ankama, Story belongs to Mizu and I.


	2. Chapter 2

Alibert entered the kitchen to see his sons stretched out over the counter with Adamai on the floor; each of them held a few bowls. Confused, he asked, "Okay, what did I miss?"

Chibi spoke up with a mouth full of fruit. His words too muffled to comprehend.

"Adamai is helping me. I just tripped reaching for the bowls. Nothing broke," Yugo said smiling.

Alibert nodded and continued with preparing for lunch, fetching a few pots and filling them at the sink. "Yugo, after you're done eating, I could use some help chopping more wood for the ovens. Do you think you could help?"

"Yeah, sure. I can do that," Yugo nodded, trying to shake off the adrenaline of the bowls falling.

Adamai stood up and carried the bowls to the table. He also reached into the pantry and placed a container of grain and dried fruit next to the younger kids' spot. Yugo took a deep breath, and walked over to the fridge, pulling out some milk and yoghurt.

The kids ate and talked about what they had planned to do for today, except for Yugo, who remained lost in his thoughts.

"No Yugo," Adamai said in between mouthfuls of his oats.

Yugo snapped out of his daze when he heard his name. "No to what?"

"You are not going back to the ruins again today."

Yugo faked a look of shock. "But I wasn't even- "

Adamai cut him off and said "I know that look. You were thinking about it. You agreed that we'd take it slowly. There is no need to rush back out there. They've been there for hundreds of years, so a few more days won't hurt them."

Yugo opened his mouth to argue, but his brother was right. He didn't like the idea of waiting around, especially when it involved something important as this.

Adamai noticed how Yugo's thoughts were put to a screeching halt leaving the eliatrope at a loss for words. Adamai sighed, then said "How about this? We will help Dad get some things stocked and cleaned around here, then we can start going over what you saw."

Yugo smiled and nodded. Doing some chores would help get his mind off the ever-growing urge to return and learn more about that place.

Alibert was working around the kitchen cutting some vegetables, greasing pans, and filling the ovens with some wood. He turned partially towards the table and asked, "What was so special about some old ruins?"

Yugo turned in his chair while swallowing some breakfast. "That's what I'm trying to find out. There is so little known about it or the Wakfu drawings on the walls. I'd wager that we were the first ones in hundreds of years to be down there; not counting the few grave robbers we passed on the way in."

"Woah, hold on," Alibert placed down his knife and turned fully to look at his son. "There were grave robbers?!" His voice raised nearly as much as his blood pressure. Hearing about dangers did almost nothing good for the old innkeeper.

Yugo held up his hands to try and calm his father down. "It's okay Papa. They were dead when we got there. I guess they didn't see the giant boulder in time."

"THERE WAS-," Alibert paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply.

"My exact reaction Dad," Adamai spoke up, clearing the tables of dishes.

After a few moments of breathing, Alibert looked back at his little pair of tomb raiders. "I think Adamai is right. It would be better taking a few days away from that death trap."

Chibi and Grougal's eyes widened with the mention of something dangerous. "We wanna go too," they both cried out.

"Out of the question," Alibert stated plainly. "I need to keep you boys safe and innocent, just the way I like you." Alibert wrapped the two younger boys in a hug and kissed them on their heads.

The pair of boys giggled. Alibert loved to baby Chibi and Grougal, even though the latter tried being as big and mighty as his older dragon brother. Chibi didn't mind the attention. In fact, he needed a lot ever since he was an infant. Chibi would cry nearly every night until Alibert came and held him. The noise had bothered his older sons so much, that Alibert moved Chibi's crib into his room. When Chibi grew out of the crib, Alibert let Chibi sleep with him in his big bed for another year before making Chibi sleep with Grougal in the boys' room. Some nights Alibert missed having someone to cuddle.

"Now you boys go play outside. It is going to rain for the next few days, so enjoy the sun while it's here. And you two," Alibert pointed to the two older boys. "Thank you for helping. The axe is hanging in the shed next to the wood pile. Please don't hurt yourselves."

Both Chibi and Grougal jumped from the table, ran to their shoes by the back door, and burst outside without a second thought.

"Actually," Adamai spoke up. "I was going to get a head start on the dining room if that's okay. I'll let Yugo grow some muscles."

"You two are acting like I'm going off to a major battle. It's just some firewood," Yugo half laughed.

"No thank you Adamai. I've already cleaned most of the dining room off last night. You go help Yugo." Alibert returned to his pots which had started boiling. "Plus, I will need that wood before lunchtime so I can do dinner."

The boys nodded and made their way out the back door, which had been left open by their younger brothers.

The sun had already made quick work of warming up the town. On days like these, the sun started its work by half past five in the morning. Days were much longer, which meant plenty of time for the crops to grow. Farm life was a little more demanding than city life. Nine months out of the year there was plenty of work to be done every day. The heat was enjoyed by much more than just the crops. The trees, grassy hills, and wildlife all made the most out of their days before having to settle down for the long three-month sleep of winter.

Yugo and Adamai sauntered through the back yard towards the wood shed. To the left, there was a large barn, left here by the previous owners of the land. However, it didn't house any animals. There was simply no time to take care of them. Alibert kept it up for looks, and intended on turning it into a smaller living quarters so he could rent it out, but never got around to it; Just one of the many projects he wanted to start. The wood shed was much smaller in comparison. It was used to house Alibert's outdoor tools and had a pile of logs stacked against it ready for chopping.

Yugo opened the wooden door and grabbed the greyish axe while Adamai tossed a few of the logs next to the chopping block. Adamai held out his arm towards the wood, letting Yugo take the first swing.

"I bet I can chop more than you before you get tired," Yugo said preparing his first target.

Adamai huffed, crossing his arms and standing a safe distance away. "You're on, but you know I win every time."

Yugo grabbed the axe with both hands, focused on the single standing log, and swing for the mark; or at least, it looked like he tried. The axe missed completely and the blade grazed the side of the chopping block. Yugo nearly fell over but corrected his footing. He laughed lightly and claimed it was a joke.

"Yeah, sure. We'll call that a practice swing," Adamai retorted.

Yugo took a second to readjust himself. He never had problems with this before. Yugo had chopped wood once a week for a long time. For some reason, the axe felt heavier than normal today. He shook his head, gripped the axe tight and swung for the wood. The axe had fallen onto its target but only made it halfway through instead of chopping it right down the middle. He tried raising the axe and slamming it down a few times on the now stuck log.

Adamai started laughing at his brother's attempt. "Do you want me to take over?"

Yugo kept trying to break the log, only getting slightly closer to cutting it in half. After five more swings, the log finally snapped, and both of its pieces fell on either side of the block. Yugo triumphantly turned to his brother and handed him the axe. "There, I'd like to see you do better."

Adamai smiled as he set another log up, gripped the axe, and chopped it in two with one swing. He turned to Yugo and raised one eyebrow.

Yugo took the axe forcefully with an "Oh yeah?" He set up the next one and swung as hard as he could, this time only making it a quarter of the way through the log. He let go of the axe, which fell on its side still stuck in the log and he stepped back. "I'll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom." Yugo ran past his brother and back towards the house.

Adamai was confused on whether Yugo was acting, or if something was wrong. He felt how he'd push the question later, and returned to chopping the rest of the wood.

Yugo quickly opened the back door, took his shoes off on the mat, and rounded the corner up the stairs to their bathroom. Slightly worried about what was going on, he splashed cold water onto his face. Grabbing a towel to dry himself, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Holding open his eye lid, sticking out his tongue, and feeling his forehead, he couldn't see anything wrong other than how he seemed to have grown shorter; even by just a few inches. Yugo rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. Breathing deeply for a couple minutes helped calm him down. It was a tactic Alibert taught him when he was very little. Before Adamai, Yugo would get scared of the dark, or of thunderstorms often. Alibert tried his best to tell the crying child how there was nothing to be afraid of. Now that Yugo was grown up, he rarely needed calming down.

"It's fine. You're fine. You just haven't woken up yet. There is nothing to worry about," he tried to tell himself.

"Everything okay up there?" The sound of his father echoed up from the kitchen.

Yugo turned and ran back down the stairs. "Just had to use the bathroom," Yugo said with a smile before grabbing his shoes and going right back out the door. By the time he got back to Adamai, the wood had been chopped and he was putting the axe back into the shed.

"Too slow," Adamai said smiling. "You can help me carry these back in though." He offered only three pieces to Yugo while he carried the rest of the pile. "Think you can handle this much?"

Yugo grabbed the wood and cradled them in both arms. It wasn't too heavy and he didn't want Adamai to think something was up, so he asked for a few more.

Adamai swatted his hand in the air saying "Naa, I got this." Adamai kept eyeing Yugo to see if he could tell what was wrong. He didn't want to call his brother out, so he bit his tongue for now.

Yugo was usually good about opening to Adamai whenever something bothered him. With their personal bond, Adamai could feel if something was major enough, but had trouble picking up on the little things. So, he learned Yugo's mannerisms and could read Yugo's face whenever something was up. Now was one of those times.

The boys went back inside and placed the wood in a square metal box near the oven. They noticed how Alibert was only halfway ready for today's meals, so they offered to help. Weekdays at the Inn were steady, but not too crowded. The most of their business was on the weekends when adventurers would travel around, or city 9-to-5ers take their weekend getaway.

Alibert held a very high standard and made every single guest feel like they were truly being taken care of, no matter what day they showed up or how many customers there were.

The boys also went around the guest rooms in the inn making the beds, replacing the towels, and taking out the garbage. They had worked up an appetite, and it was near lunchtime too. The two older boys made some sandwiches for them and their brothers. Chibi and Grougal knew to come home when they were hungry.

Yugo had finished his lunch and set up some paper and ink on the table to start drawing the symbols from the ruins. When the door opened Chibi and Grougal were out of breath, probably from a race home as per usual. The door being left open made some of Yugo's papers fly off the table. He grabbed them looking frustrated and placed a weight on them.

Alibert could see Yugo scrambling for his papers and scolded the boys. "I told you to close the door when you use it. You boys weren't raised in a barn. You left it open this morning too, didn't you?"

Chibi and Grougal frowned, and muttered, "we're sorry Papa."

Alibert patted them on their heads and said "just don't do it again. There's lunch on the table for you. Your brothers made some sandwiches."

The two boys ran to the table, thanked their brothers, and excitedly took a big bite of their lunch. Chibi watched Yugo as he tried to draw some odd-looking symbols. They most represented old runes, or weird letters doing yoga. Chibi asked through a mouthful of bread what Yugo was drawing, and why was he doing it wrong.

Trying to concentrate, Yugo sternly said, "It's not wrong, they're what I saw in the ruins."

Chibi laughed at it and said "I've seen that before. It looks like the letter H trying to be a J."

Grougal elbowed his brother and corrected him. "Nu-uh. He's drawing a boat without a sail. And that one looks like the playground that you're too scared to play on."

"Not true! I'm not scared, I just like the way it creaks… What about that one that looks like your hood that you think looks cool to wear?"

Grougal scoffed. "One, it _does_ look cool, but only on me. You're just jealous. Two, which one looks like that? I don't see it."

"That one right there," Chibi exclaimed, grabbed a sheet of paper, pulled it towards Grougal and pointed. When he pulled it out from under Yugo's arm, it also pulled the ink bottle, which spilt it over the three pages he had drawn on.

Yugo grabbed the ink bottle and quickly stood up to make sure it didn't splash on him. The noise caught the attention of everyone in the kitchen.

Yugo slammed the bottle back on the table and pointed at Chibi and Grougal. "Why do you two babies have to ruin what I'm doing? This is important, and now you've soiled it," he yelled at his younger brothers.

Adamai stepped in and put his hand on Yugo's outstretched arm, and lowered it. "Bro, no need to be harsh. They didn't mean to do it."

Alibert came over to the two younger boys, who were near to tears, and hugged them. "Yugo, you know they didn't mean it. Why don't you go take this up to your room and relax for a while? You've been working hard all day; maybe you should take a nap."

Yugo huffed, while he tried to separate his papers from the soiled ones, avoiding eye contact with his dad. "I don't want to take a nap."

Alibert put his hands down on the papers that Yugo shuffled together and stared at his son. "I wasn't asking. Please go upstairs," he stated firmly.

Yugo looked up and saw that Alibert meant business. Yugo grabbed his things and went up to their room. Chibi and Grougal looked up at Alibert who comforted them and said "He's just a bit cranky. I know you boys didn't mean it. Thank you Adamai for helping."

"No problem Dad. I'll go ask him what's wrong when he cools down a bit." Adamai grabbed the ruined papers and tossed them in the trash. The ink had ruined whatever pictures Yugo had drawn on them anyway.

The Inn had a larger than usual influx of customers, so Adamai helped Alibert cook all the way until dinner. When the crowd had become a bit more manageable, Adamai washed his hands and made his way up to their room to check on Yugo.

When Adamai opened the door, he could see Yugo sleeping on top of the covers with his thumb in his mouth. Adamai was slightly confused about it, being told how Yugo used to do that while he was frustrated back when he was nine years old. Something hadn't been right with Yugo today, and it grew more and more obvious to his dragon brother.

Adamai sat on the side of Yugo's bed and lightly shook him awake. Yugo rolled over with a light grunt. Adamai rolled his eyes before trying again. "Bro, it's time to wake up. We need to talk before dinner"

Yugo slowly sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. His thumb was still in his mouth and he was actively sucking it. After a moment, he yawned and his hand dropped to his side. "What? What do you wanna talk about?"

Adamai lowered his eyes halfway and gave Yugo an unimpressed look. "Bro, you were just sucking your thumb. That isn't a big enough giveaway that something up?"

Yugo finally realised, blushed slightly and denied it. "What do you mean? No, I wasn't."

Adamai shifted slightly on the bed to be able to put his hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Dude, talk to me. First, you have trouble with chopping wood, then you completely flip tail over some spilt ink. What is going on? And don't lie. You know that I can tell when you lie to me."

Yugo shifts a little unsettled and takes a moment to think. "I am not sure Ad. This may sound crazy, but I think I may have grown shorter. Like this morning with the bathroom door, the plates for breakfast… Something is off and I don't know what it is, or how to fix it. I kind of hoped it would go away after a nap, but I still feel weird inside, like… Like my brain is starting to become mashed potatoes."

"Well, when did it start?" Adamai was equally confused, but he had to appear like the level headed one to avoid Yugo panicking.

Yugo crossed his feet and looked slightly concerned. "I know what you're going to say, but I think it started when we went to the ruin. Now I know you said be careful, and I was. But I don't know where I went wrong."

Adamai rubbed his chin for a second. "What did we do differently? Whatever it is, it has not affected me. So, if we find the difference, then we find the problem, and we can figure out the solution. That's what 'The Great Feca Detective' taught us when Dad reads it."

Yugo nodded and thought for a moment. They both went there. They both saw the triggered traps. Adamai broke the door, so it couldn't have been that. Yugo's train of thought was cut off when he felt a hand on his chest. He looked up at Adamai, confused.

"This thing. You haven't taken off the oculus from around your neck since we left the ruins. I knew that chest was too easy to open!" Adamai was smiling in how he figured it out. "All we have to do is- "

Yugo cut him off immediately. "NO! We are NOT destroying it," Yugo sounded worried and he held the necklace though his shirt and backed up against the headboard.

"I was going to say we take it off and put it in a safe spot," Adamai comforted his brother and put his hand on Yugo's. "But I bet you that this thing was cursed to stop any non-eliatrope from taking it."

"But then why am I cursed? Shouldn't it _not_ work on eliatropes?" Yugo was unsure about it, but he didn't want to part from the necklace. It was the only way to read those glyphs in the ruins.

"Maybe the only way to stop the curse, if that is what's wrong, is for an eliatrope to read the reverse spell on the wall. We should go back and try to find it. But it's already dinner time. Dad wouldn't want us out late."

Yugo gasped. "We can't tell dad! If he finds out that we went somewhere dangerous, didn't tell him about it, **and** got hurt, he'd never let us leave his sight for a whole year!"

Adamai shushed his brother and tried to bargain. "How about we go tomorrow? You take the necklace off tonight, and if it is still affecting you, then we'll go and find a cure. If not, then you'll be fine. No need to tell Dad. Deal?" Adamai held out his hand.

Yugo smiled, nodded, and shook his brother's hand. He took off the necklace and placed it on the window sill next to his bed. They both got up from the bed and headed towards the kitchen. The smells of delicious stew wafted through the halls and could be smelled all throughout the Inn. Yugo seemingly subconsciously reached up and grabbed Adamai's hand as they walked down the stairs. The young dragon didn't want to point it out but made a mental note to add it to the list of weird things Yugo did today.

When they got downstairs, the table had been set, and Chibi and Grougal were sitting in their chairs talking about their day. As soon as they saw Yugo enter the room they got quiet and stared at him. No one seemed to notice Yugo holding Adamai's hand. When Alibert entered back into the room, Yugo walked right up to him and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry Papa." Yugo's apology was slightly muffled. Alibert hugged him tightly and rubbed his back.

"It's okay Yugo. But there are still two people you should apologise to."

Yugo walked over to the table and sat down. "I'm sorry Grougal and Chibi, you two aren't babies." They both smiled and thanked their brother.

Alibert grabbed a pot from the stovetop and placed it on the table in front of the four boys. He grabbed their bowls and filled it to the top. "You boys need some more vegetables in your guys' diets. So, I put in some cabbage, carrots, potatoes, celery… It's good; and good for you. I expect you boys to eat everything from your bowl. I'm looking at you, Chibi. You can't just eat meat." Alibert broke off some bread and placed a piece next to each of their bowls.

Chibi took a chomp of bread and spew crumbs halfway across the table when he spoke. "But meat is good. I love meat."

Yugo laughed lightly seeing his brother had made a mess. He too chomped down on his bread and copied the younger eliatrope. "Vegetables are good too. You need them to grow big like me."

Grougal followed suit with his baguette. "You're not that big. I wanna grow really big, like Ad!"

All three of the boys looked over to Adamai who had yet to touch his food. "I am bigger than you, bro. Tough break I guess," Adamai shrugged smugly. He refused to go down to their level in immaturity.

Alibert rolled his eyes watching his sons playing with their food. "You three are being silly. Come on, eat up before it gets cold."

The family made it a mandatory thing to eat together at least once a day. With the guests, sometimes Alibert would be so busy making orders or prepping meals that he couldn't join the boys for Breakfast or Lunch, so he made time for them around Supper. They would all talk about their day, the best and worst thing from their activities, and joke back and forth amongst each other. It was nice to be able to collect as a family for however, longer Alibert had before his eldest two sons grew up and moved out. He secretly hoped it would never happen, but knew that eventually, they would.

When they were all done, the boys helped clear their own dishes from the table and put them in the sink. Chibi and Grougal were growing tall enough to reach the bottom of the sink without the help of the stool. When Chibi finished with his dishes, he pointed at Yugo and laughed. Yugo looked completely confused as to why before he realised how low Chibi was pointing.

"You spilt water on yourself! It looks like you had an accident," Chibi giggled.

Yugo looked down to his crotch and noticed a wet spot. His entire face became red before realising how Chibi gave him an out. "Y-yeah, thank goddess it's just water," he lied.

Grougal spoke up looking confused. "But we had milk with- "

"I better go change into my pyjamas. It's about bedtime anyway," Yugo cut him off, and swiftly ran upstairs; his face still burning bright red.

Alibert, who hadn't picked up on Yugo's behaviour, turned to the rest of the boys. "And I think it's about bedtime for three other boys too. Don't worry about the dishes, I'll finish them after story time. Now march your little butts upstairs and get ready for bed."

Adamai herded the two boys to the bathroom. "Brush your teeth first. You guys forgot this morning," he said closing the door behind them. While the boys were in the bathroom, he went to their bedroom to check on Yugo who was in the middle of changing. "Bro," he sounded concerned, covering his eyes.

Yugo was a bit flustered trying to hide his soiled clothes in the hamper. "Tomorrow, Ad. We need to find that cure first thing tomorrow." He put on his pyjamas but had to tighten his pant strings all the way. His shirt looked like it was two sizes too big.

Adamai walked over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We will get this all worked out in no time," Adamai said smiling.

When the kids were all in bed and ready, Alibert read them to sleep using one of the books he's read multiple times. Almost on cue, they were all asleep before chapter three. He quietly kissed the four of them, turned out the lights, and closed their door.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose the next morning on cue to warm up the small farming town. However, it's rays of light were blocked by a thick blanket of clouds, filled to bursting with water. The rain seemed to have rolled in the previous night under cover of darkness, now taking its turn nourishing the fields. Rain didn't come often during the summer, so not only was it welcomed by the field workers, but it also stood as an omen that Summer's grasp on the town was fading; making room for Autumn to step in.

As the muffled light tried to break through the clouds, the early risers groggily woke from their sleep. The birds began their morning songs under cover of the thick treetops. The farmers all took a collective breath of relief not having to water the fields today; and by the look of the clouds, possibly the next few days.

Alibert shuffled down to hall towards the boy's room, his slippers echoed as he went. He slowly opened the bedroom door, and to no surprise, the boys were still all fast asleep. The sound of soft breathing could be heard in unison with the raindrops tapping on the windows. He walked over to the window above the younger boys' bed and drew the curtains. Light flooded the room and rustled the boys from their sleep. He also walked over to the opposite side of the room and opened the curtains above Yugo's bed.

Alibert looked down and shook the lump hiding under the covers. He noticed the soft lump looked Chibi-sized. "Chibi what are you doing in Yugo's bed?"

"I'm not Papa. I'm right here." The small voice came from behind him.

Alibert turned to see the brown-hatted boy rubbing his eyes sitting up in bed next to a yawning Grougal. He turned back to Yugo's bed and pulled the covers off. Yugo was sleeping soundly, but was much smaller than usual, and sucking his thumb while his other hand was balled up in a fist. Alibert stood there at a loss for words while he stared at what was his eldest son. Adamai walked over to see why Alibert was making a weird face. He stared at Yugo who was just waking up sucking his thumb while staring at his father and brother.

"Crud," Adamai mumbled under his breath.

The rain outside, almost on time with the sudden shock of Yugo's new form, started to pick up. The clouds had plenty of water to last, and they were not shy about sharing it with the whole town.

Alibert and Adamai stared at Yugo speechless, while Yugo stared right back at them. He didn't seem to catch on immediately with what was going on. After waking up for a moment, he noticed his thumb was being sucked. He removed it and said, "What's going on?" His voice was slightly softer and higher pitch.

A moment of silence crowded the space between the three of them. "Bro," Adamai spoke up first, "stand up and see for yourself."

Yugo shuffled out of bed and stood up next to his brother. He would normally come up to Adamai's eye level, but the top of his hat was just under the dragon's shoulder; his clothes barely hanging on to the tiny frame. "When'd you get taller," he asked obliviously.

Chibi walked around Alibert to see what they were staring at. As soon as Chibi saw Yugo being about the same height, his mouth opened into a giant smile! "You're me sized!" Chibi ran up to Yugo and hugged him. "This is great! It's like we have a new brother. Grougal, come see!"

Grougal walked over to them to get a better look. Yugo noticed he was at eye level with Chibi and Grougal, and suddenly it all hit Yugo at once. The curse seemed to work more overnight.

"But we took the oculus off and placed it…" Adamai turned his head towards the windowsill and noticed the necklace missing. Yugo looked down to his balled fist and opened it. The golden-bordered lens was resting in Yugo's small palm. Adamai furrowed his brow and looked disappointed at his brother.

"It was shiny and cool. I wanted to hold it," Yugo said quietly, knowing he did something wrong.

"Chibi, Grougal, please go brush your teeth and head downstairs. I have to talk to your two brothers." Alibert stepped back a few steps and sat down in his reading chair, holding his arm out and motioned Yugo and Adamai to sit on the bed.

Adamai filled his father in on everything that happened, and what their plans were. The whole time, Alibert held his face in his hands, unsure how he felt.

"And that's about it. We were going to go back to the ruins today to look if there's a cure. The cursed necklace was supposed to stay in the window so he wouldn't get worse." Adamai sat waiting for his father to come up with a response.

Alibert was silent for a few minutes while he thought of how he should treat the situation. The guilt of not telling their father weighed heavily on them and set a feeling throughout the room.

"You two are not going back to the ruins. We'll send this object to Otomai and pray that he has a cure. But until Yugo is back to his normal size, I don't want him being put into any more trouble."

Adamai nodded but Yugo shook his head. "No fair, Papa. I'm the only one who can read the pictures, and I need the necklace to see them. It's not fair that I have to stay home!" Yugo's eyes started watering as he rose his voice.

"Bro, I can give it a look. Plus, Otomai helped us before. He could take care of this too. Just play with Chibi and Grougal. It won't be for long." Adamai placed an arm around his brother to comfort him.

Alibert and the boys all stood up. Yugo struggled to hold his clothes up, stopping them from falling off his now smaller body.

Alibert knelt and held Yugo in a hug. "Adamai, could you please join your brothers? I'll have to find some old clothes that will fit Yugo better."

Adamai nodded and left the room. Alibert grabbed the arms of Yugo's pyjama shirt and pulled it off. Yugo started sniffling even more. Alibert tried comforting the small boy. "It's okay Yugo. Otomai and Ad will take care of it. You don't have to worry."

Yugo shook his head and stared up into his father's eyes.

"What is it," Alibert asked. Yugo leaned in and whispered into his father's ear. Alibert half smiled and said "That's okay. I'll find something for that too. Did you wet the bed as well?" The bed had a small damp spot where Yugo was sitting before.

Alibert wrapped up the sheets in his arms and threw them in the laundry hamper. "Just wait here. I'll check some of Chibi's old clothes."

Alibert reached into Chibi's dresser and fished around for something he hadn't seen Chibi wear in a while. Through the shades of brown, he found a grey shirt adorned with a white star and a pair of dark pants. Alibert also found a pair of slightly padded underwear from when Chibi had problems. He helped Yugo change out of his oversized soiled pants, then gave him the clothes he found.

"I don't wanna wear diapers! I'm not a baby," Yugo crossed his arms and pouted, standing there completely naked, spare his hat.

Alibert tried not laughing at the image. "These aren't diapers; they're pull ups. Just a little extra padding so if you do have another accident, others won't see it. You'll still be able to use the toilet like a big boy. Now please get dressed." Alibert assisted Yugo, who hesitated at first but realized how cold he was getting.

The clothes that Alibert picked out fit Yugo much better than Yugo's own. He noticed how the shirt was a tiny bit loose, so he grabbed a cloth belt and wrapped it around Yugo's waist a few times before tucking the ends of the belt under his pants. The extra padding could hardly be noticed. The outfit along with Yugo's size really did make him look like Chibi, but Yugo kept his blue hat on; the tail end of the hat nearly reaching his ankles.

Alibert reached for Yugo's hat, but Yugo held on tight to it and wouldn't let go. "Okay, you can keep that on. It'll help me tell the difference between you and Chibi." Alibert found that amusing, but Yugo just huffed and walked into the hall, shortly followed by his dad.

When they both made it to the kitchen, Chibi and Grougal had finished their breakfast and noticed Yugo's outfit.

"We're twins! You just need a brown hat like mine!" Chibi sounded very excited and loved the whole situation.

Feeling how uncomfortable it made Yugo, Adamai stepped between the two and said "Don't make fun of him. He can't control this curse. He'll be back to his normal size in no time. Dad, did you have the necklace? I'd like to send it off to Otomai first thing."

Alibert took the oculus out of his pocket and handed it to Adamai carefully. Alibert wrapped it in a handkerchief to avoid contact with it. Adamai took the amulet carefully and started walking towards the door.

"I'll take it to the post office and send it under Urgent Mail." Adamai grabbed a raincoat and headed out the door. The rain was still coming down at a steady pace.

Alibert lifted Yugo up and placed him in a chair. Yugo could have done it himself but was standing still at the foot of the stair, looking embarrassed. Plus, Alibert was secretly loving being able to baby his eldest son again. It was very much a dream come true. Unfortunately for Yugo, the price was for him to remain like this until he was cured.

Alibert poured some cereal and cut Yugo's fruit for him. Yugo didn't complain and started eating slowly. His mind seemed to wander off to things he saw around the kitchen. It was almost as if he had been seeing it for the first time. Everything was more interesting to him that what he was doing. The curse was affecting more than just his body, but also his mind.

Chibi and Grougal ran for the back door and put on their shoes before Alibert stopped them. "Why don't you boys stay inside and play? It's raining heavily out there, and you two always make a mess. Yugo can join you as soon as he's done eating.

Chibi got excited about another person playing with them. "We can build pillow forts upstairs! Come on Grougal, let's go set up in the play room." Chibi kicked off his shoes, grabbed his dragon brother's arm, and lead him up the stairs.

The sound of building mighty fluffy forts was very enticing to Yugo, so he started eating faster. Alibert reminded him to slow down so Yugo wouldn't choke.

He was normally very protective over his sons, but this left him with a good reason to be. Alibert noticed the time and hurried to get the day's meals ready, and left Yugo to finish up after himself.

Adamai ran through the muddy roads down the hill towards the town centre. He was mentally wrestling with himself over what happened. Half of him was sad that his brother had to be stuck at less than half his age for however long this curse lasted. The other half of him was angry at his brother for not listening. If Yugo had left the oculus alone, he wouldn't be having bladder control problems.

"Yugo never listens. We made a deal that he shook on, and he still couldn't stick to it. He's as stubborn as I am, and I'm a dragon! Maybe he deserves this. It's only right that he should deal with his mistakes. It _is_ kind of funny." Adamai monologued to himself all the way to the post office.

The office was just opening when Adamai got there. He shook off the excess rain and opened the door.

"Hello Adamai, how can I help you?" The mailman was always friendly. Having an easy job helped. All he had to do was collect letters or packages, and drive them by cart to the city once a day.

Adamai caught his breath before speaking. "I have an important package that I need to be sent as soon as possible. It's urgent." Adamai walked over to the counter, grabbed a sheet of paper, and started writing a letter to accompany the necklace, explaining the whole ordeal to Otomai.

The man behind the counter looked apologetic. "Sorry, I'm not due to head into town until later this evening. Will that do?"

"I don't think so. It's kind of a scientific emergency."

"Who are you sending this to?"

Adamai finished his letter and folded it into an envelope along with the amulet in. "To Otomai, the scientist. He's the only one who'd be able to help."

"I could send your package by owl. That'd go directly to his workshop. But, it'll cost more."

"Yes, please. How about I cover two dinners at the Inn?" Adamai had used free meals as a bargaining chip before. Once Alibert found out, he scolded the dragon saying how he shouldn't go handing out free food vouchers. For something this important, he was sure his Dad would make an exception.

The mailman thought for a second, then agreed. He took the package and put a waterproof cover over, then attached it to the one owl that the small post office had.

Thanking him on his way out, Adamai put his raincoat back on and walked back home, worried about how long it will be before Otomai responds. "Nothing to do now but wait."

Back home the small boys were busy playing upstairs, completely ignoring the heavy rain going on outside. They grabbed all the pillows they could find and set them up in the middle of the room. One by one they stacked the pillows making a boxed shape at tall as they were. They also made a small entrance that they had to crawl through. Their structure best represented an igloo, but they liked it all the same.

Grougal and Chibi loved playing with Yugo. A third person had thrown off the balance of their usual games so they had to come up with brand new games to play. After their 'fort' was built, they played in and around it, laughing and running together.

Adamai entered the room to check on them and was completely surprised when he saw Yugo fitting into his role perfectly. Ad expected Yugo to not give in to childish games, but it looked like he was having a blast.

Chibi and Grougal were dancing around the igloo with their arms up high, making roaring noises. When the boys heard the door swing fully open, they stopped mid-game and smiled at Adamai with their arms frozen in the air. After a few seconds, Yugo's face popped out of the entrance and smiled up at the dragon.

Adamai knelt down closer to Yugo and asked, "Everything okay? I sent the letter as quickly as it could go."

Yugo nodded, his face beaming with excitement. "Ad, look at what we built. Isn't it amazing?"

"Glad to see you're having fun. I'm going to help Dad cook. If you need me, I'll be downstairs." Adamai patted Yugo's head making a small amount of dust puff out from his hat. "You're dirty bro. Maybe you can take a bath after dinner."

Yugo backed up into the pillow house and stubbornly said "No bath! We're having fun."

Adamai smiled and rolled his eyes. "Then you boys have fun together." He stood back up and walked into his room.

When he left he could hear Chibi and Grougal's roaring start back up. Adamai took off his damp socks and put on some warmer ones. The rain had brought an uncomfortable chill to the area. It wasn't that cold, but the difference from the previous week's heat made it feel worse.

When Adamai left his room, he could hear crying coming from the toy room. Instead of walking downstairs he decided to check out what happened. When he entered the toy room again he saw Chibi sitting on the ground crying, the pillow house destroyed, and Yugo and Grougal were hitting each other rather hard with what looked to be the fort's support beam pillows.

"Woah! Settle down," Adamai rushed in separating the two from their fight. "I left you guys for literally one minute. What happened?"

Yugo and Grougal crossed their arms, turned their backs to each other, and ignored the older dragon. Chibi spoke between sniffles "Grougal was going to destroy it, but Yugo wanted to keep it up. Then Grougal called Yugo a brat, and I wanted to destroy the fort. But then Yugo broke the wall and started hitting Grougal with a pillow. I tried to stop him, but Yugo hit me in the face and they started fighting."

"You tattletale," Yugo fumed. "I didn't do anything!"

Grougal turned towards the blue-hatted child. "Yeah-huh. You were being a brat about it! I built most of the fort so I should get to destroy it."

Yugo turned to Grougal and stared into his eyes. "Nu-uh! We all built it. And you're the one who started it!"

"Oh yeah?" Grougal got closer to Yugo's face. "You know what you are? A stupid little baby!"

That was the tipping point. Yugo grabbed his pillow from the ground and went to swing at Grougal's head. Adamai grabbed both the pillow mid-swing and the back of Yugo's shirt. He lifted the small eliatrope off the ground and dropped the pillow back to the floor.

Yugo wiggled to try and get himself loose from his brother's grip, but Adamai just held him suspended about a foot off the ground. He kept this up for about two minutes, calling Adamai an "unfair beast" and promised to "wallop him when he gets down."

Adamai just stayed quiet and let Yugo work it out of his system. When Yugo finally stopped, Adamai turned Yugo to face him. "Are you done, bro?" Yugo nodded and avoided eye contact. Adamai let him down and turned to Chibi who had stopped crying. "You guys need to play nice with each other. Why don't you all pick up this mess and play with some of your playing dough instead? And Chibi, if these two start fighting again, come get me and I'll make sure to punish them _hard_ , okay?"

It was the shallowest of threats, but Adamai didn't want them hurting one another. Chibi nodded and started picking up the pillows, putting them in a neat pile against the wall.

When Adamai noticed Yugo standing there not helping, Ad swatted Yugo's behind lightly. "Go on, you need to clean up too."

Yugo felt ashamed for being in the wrong and was reluctant to help, but eventually did. Adamai nodded at the three of them and left the room to help Alibert.

As the day went on, the rain had lightened up to a soft drizzle. The free time from not having to tend to the crops brought in a bit of an influx of customers, but nothing that the Inn's two chefs couldn't handle. Recently Adamai had grown a liking to cooking. After seeing how his brother enjoyed it and seeing how much it helped Alibert, Adamai decided to give it a try. His favourite thing was the sauté pans. Tossing things into hot oil, flipping them in the air, and setting the pan on fire, Adamai quickly grew fond of his station. And he was getting pretty good at it too.

The boys all came downstairs right as Adamai had finished making some grilled cheese sandwiches for them. They were all joking and laughing with each other. Adamai didn't tell Alibert about their fight; There was no need, and it seemed to have blown over already.

Seeing how well Yugo was taking to his new form, Alibert had a sigh of relief. He worried how Yugo might be confrontational or angry the whole time.

"Hey boys," Alibert spoke up. "Remember that today is bath day. I think you kids could really use one after dinner."

A collective groan came over the table. They were having fun. They didn't want to have to stop for a bath.

"No complaining. Some of you need it." Alibert made eye contact with Yugo, who blushed a little. Yugo hoped his father wouldn't tell the others about his little accident earlier today. Alibert knew better, and wouldn't want to add any more problems onto his son.

"What do you boys have planned next," Adamai asked while he mixed things for Dinner.

Chibi spoke between bites of his sandwich. "Grougal wanted to play with our farm set. We were going to pretend Papa owned a farm instead of an inn."

"I already own a farm. You boys eat like gobballs," Alibert said laughing.

"And Chibi smells like one too," Grougal mocked.

"At least I don't look like a taur, Grougal." Yugo was still a little angry at the young dragon from before.

Grougal shrugged smirking. "You're just jealous because I'm a full dragon and fully human, and you only know as much as half of a human."

Yugo stared at Grougal for a minute looking confused. "That makes no sense. You can't be full of two things."

Chibi spoke before Grougal could rebuttal. "Yes, you can. Full of lunch _and_ snack." He stared up at his father, holding his empty plate.

Alibert laughed out loud. "I swear you boys will eat me out of house and home. We'll have dinner a bit earlier tonight. We have a party of guests coming in for dinner."

"Okay Papa," came collectively from the boys. They finished their Lunch, set their plates in the sink, and ran back upstairs.

The boys set up the miniature farmhouse and barn in the centre of the room and dished out the tiny animals to each other as evenly as they could. Having a third boy made the piles uneven, so they set the remainder back in the barn. They took turns setting up the fences and making pens for their animals, all the while talking to each other using their animals' noises. The boys enjoyed themselves while the weather outside remained unchanged.

The rain danced on the rooftops and ran along the gutters at a steady pace. It wasn't as heavy as before, but the clouds, not showing any sign of letting up, began to worry Adamai. He wondered if the delivery owl had any problems finding Otomai's workshop through this storm.

The clouds seemed to cover the greater area of land of Amakna but cleared up around the coasts to the south. Off the coast of the mainland laid a small island. There weren't a lot of people who came this way, but there was one man who decided to make that small island his home. Because of his fame and expertise in his craft, the scientist was gifted the land by the nobility of the city of Amakna and called it after himself.

Otomai built his workshop in and around a large tree that stood proudly over the whole island. From there, he would help cure major diseases and even invent new things to help better life for the people. He looked young from a first glance, but thanks to his potions and elixirs, was, in fact, hundreds of years old. And with the help of his young ogre son, he used most of that time making a successful business for anyone who needed help.

Otomai's son had been playing outside with some of the animals in the woods when he heard the flapping of a great owl overhead. When he saw the delivery-bird flying directly for his father's workshop, he raced it to get to Otomai first. When the young ogre got upstairs, he saw the bird perched on the window and his father reading a letter.

"What does it say, papa?"

Otomai read through the page's front and back, 'Hmm'-ing to himself. "It sounds like Yugo, the eliatrope child-king and his dragon brother needs our assistance Ogrest. We'll finish up with this patient here, then we can go. Let me write the boys back."

Ogrest cheered and ran around the room. It was exciting for him to be able to travel with his father for work. He didn't get to help, but just seeing new places excited the young ogre.

Otomai gathered some shiny silver ink from a high cabinet and placed the open jar next to a blank sheet of paper. As he spoke, the ink jumped out of the jar and wrote the words on the paper by itself. This was a very handy concoction that he created so he could respond to letters while he worked.

When he was done, he read over the page, nodded, and folded it into a red envelope. When it was sealed, the envelope sprung to life, grew wings, and took flight in the direction the owl came from. It travelled faster than the previous courier due to its aerodynamic shape. Otomai stared at the letter soaring through the sky for just a moment before returning to his work.

When it neared Dinner time, Adamai went upstairs to call the boys down. Halfway down the hall, he heard stomping and angry voices. He huffed and hurried his pace. Entering the toy room, he saw the barn upside down, the fence pieces scattered, and the boys pointing at their tiny animals.

"You stole my tofu nest. Now their babies are going to die! Give it back!" Yugo tried grabbing at Chibi's hand which he was hiding behind his back.

"I'll give it back when you give back my part of the fence," Chibi said backing away from Yugo.

"The pen isn't big enough for the gobballs. They need more room to run around. You should know all about what gobballs' need; seeing how you are one!"

Grougal stepped in between the two boys. "And you'd know all about tofus, you feather-brain! Don't call Chibi names."

"But you just called _me_ a feather-brain!" Yugo's face was turning red and his voice was cracking.

"You started it, dummy," Chibi said from behind his dragon brother.

"But you took my nest! Stop being mean and give it back." Yugo was now nearing tears. Fighting over the pretend death of his toy tofu was making Yugo upset.

Adamai watched from the sideline as they tried working their problems out, but when it escalated to tears, he decided to step in. His presence was ignored until he spoke. The boys were too busy fighting to notice him.

"Okay boys, that's enough."

Yugo looked up at his brother with tears running down the sides of his cheeks. He pointed up towards Chibi and tried explaining. "Chibi and Grougal are- "

"I saw the whole thing. To avoid more fighting, how about we just put the toys away and go have some dinner?"

The room's tension seemed to plummet at Adamai's mention of food. Yugo wiped off his tears and the three of them put their animals into the mini farmhouse, and back onto the shelf. Chibi and Grougal both ran downstairs, but Yugo seemed to drag along while his thumb was planted firmly in his mouth.

Adamai asked him what was wrong, but the young Eliatrope just stared up at him sucking his thumb.

"Come on bro, you can tell me. It's just us two here."

Yugo was silent for a second before he leaned into Adamai's ear and whispered something.

Adamai raised his eyebrows at his brother for a moment. "Bro, don't worry. I'll help you find a new pair to change in to."

Adamai had no idea that Yugo had such a weak bladder. It appeared like he'd only lose control if he was emotionally upset. Chibi used to break down into crying fits when he was younger, but almost never had problems using the bathroom. The pull ups that Alibert got for Chibi were hardly needed, but the added protection was something his father insisted; just in case.

Adamai took Yugo's hand and lead him to their room. He dug through Chibi's underwear drawer and looked for another pair of the padded pull ups. Luckily for Yugo, there was one more. Adamai was about to tell him but decided that Yugo could go without the extra stress of no backup. Adamai would have to inform their dad later.

Once Yugo was dry and wearing a fresh pair of padding, the last two boys made their way to the kitchen for some dinner.

At the table, Alibert had prepared some fried fish with mashed potatoes; one of Grougal's favourites. Alibert took each of the boy's plates and filled it up with a helping of each.

"I know you boys don't like bath time, but I'm really going to need you to not play around. The dinner guests will be here in about an hour and a half. So, we have just enough time for dinner. But you boys will have to bathe without my help."

"But what about story time, Papa," Chibi asked taking a mouthful of potato.

Alibert winced a little, hoping to avoid that question. Knowing his luck, and his boys, that was the very first question out of their mouths. "Well, I was hoping that Adamai could help read you boys to sleep. I'll be done after your guys' bed time, and I don't want you staying up late."

Yugo chimed in, enjoying his fish. "We can stay up late. We're big boys, Papa."

"Don't argue with Dad, bro. I can read too. Plus, you guys could use the extra sleep. You've had a full day already." Adamai kept both of their fights from Alibert. There was no need for more tears today.

"No fair," Yugo pouted. "I'm a big boy. And, I don't even feel tired."

"It's okay Yugo. We can have fun in the tub before bed," Grougal suggested.

Yugo blushed a little, thinking about being the smallest boy in the tub. Normally he'd help wash Grougal and Chibi's hair and back, having an excuse not to remove his hat in front of his family. The idea of anyone else washing his hair made him uneasy.

Yugo began to protest but was cut off by the sound of something whizzing by the back window. There was a soft scurrying sound under the back door, and a letter flew in between the crack from under the door. It flew over the dinner table and hovered for a moment and folded into what looked like an origami mouth.

The paper began speaking in Adamai's direction. "Dear Adamai, I have received your letter and am very confused about what this curse entails. It appears to have regressed Yugo to a younger state, and you claimed it was due to this amulet you sent me. Unfortunately, I must deal with a patient here today, but I will be able to come over there tomorrow around lunch time. In the meanwhile, I will study this oculus for the exact spell so I can form a cure. Best of wishes, Otomai. P.S. Tell the two young boys I'll be bringing Ogrest. He'd love to play with them."

The letter folded itself back into its original sealed form and landed on the table. Everyone exchanged looks before giving their opinion on the situation. Adamai and Alibert were both happy to hear how Otomai could come so soon. Chibi and Grougal were happy about having a fourth boy to play with. Yugo was sitting there speechless, trying to wrap his head around the letter.

"It's good news, Bro. You'll be back to your old self in no time." Adamai threw his arm around his brother and gave him a side hug. Yugo smiled at the embrace but needed a moment to catch up with everyone else. His mind seemed to have wandered.

Clearing the plates, Alibert asked the boys to go upstairs and start running their bath. Chibi and Grougal ran up the stairs, already started to undress along the way. Adamai ran up after them making sure to pick up the clothes they left behind.

Alibert realized that Yugo waited behind from everyone. He knelt next to the small child and asked what was wrong.

Yugo was trying to make an excuse about how he didn't want to wash his hair. "I just, don't want to bath with the others. I want to be alone." Yugo crossed his feet and his arms, looking uneasy.

"Why not bathe with your brothers? You've done it plenty of times before. Plus, your hat is all dirty. I'm sure your hair could use a good scrub too. I would love to help you wash, but I really need to get ready down here. Why not ask Adamai or Chibi to help?"

Yugo shook his head. He grabbed the horns of his hat and spoke very softly. "My… things got smaller too. I don't want anyone to see them."

Alibert knew about Yugo's wings and how they'd only appear when his emotions spiked. Regressing like he was, his emotions could easily be labelled as 'unstable'. He thought for a moment before agreeing how Yugo could bathe after his brothers were done.

Yugo nodded and went upstairs to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and waited for the other three boys to finish in the bathroom. Kicking his feet off the side of his bed, he was mentally struggling with the worries of Otomai not being able to help him. ' _What if he doesn't find anything? Then I'll be stuck like this forever. Forever is a long time!'_

He frequently had negative ramblings in his head. He would tell his father, and Alibert would cast away his worries with either a rhyming saying paired with a big warm hug. But he felt how Alibert was just as powerless as he was. Yugo sub consciously started sucking his thumb. It seemed to help calm him down, and with no Alibert hug in sight, Yugo could only do so much.

Eventually, the bedroom door opened and two towel-wrapped boys ran for their dresser. Yugo quickly noticed his thumb sucking and hid his hand underneath his leg. Chibi's head was completely uncovered, but his wings were not showing. Being so young, and growing up around such a close-knit family left Chibi in a virtually stress-free life. He never had problems about self-worth, or how his wings made him look. He just kept on smiling. The boys threw their towels in the hamper and put on their soft pyjamas.

They were drying their long hair when Adamai rounded into the room. "Yugo don't fight it. You must take a bath too. Dad said so."

"I know, but Papa said I could bathe after you guys." Yugo hopped off the bed and started towards the bathroom.

"Okay then, I'll wait for you to finish to start the story."

Yugo took off his clothes but left his hat on. Yugo climbed in the sizeable tub and turned the faucets. Due to his new size, the tub seemed much wider. He laid back in the tub with his hat resting on the outside as the warm water filled up to his waist. Grabbing a washcloth and the soap, he started washing his body. He had no intention of washing his hair. Even alone, he didn't like the feeling of wet hair unless he was forced by Alibert. He was very picky about his head hygiene and would go nearly a whole week without washing it.

When he finished, Yugo dried himself off as much as he could but realised how his pyjamas wouldn't fit him anymore. He wrapped himself up in a towel and went back to his room. The young eliatrope put his outfit on the foot of his bed, planning on wearing it again tomorrow, with the hopes of him returning to his normal size by dinner time.

Chibi and Grougal were in bed waiting for Adamai to start reading a story. Adamai was standing at the kids' dresser holding out a pair of pyjamas for Yugo to use. They were covered in decals of fluffy gobballs jumping over wooden fences.

Growing up Yugo had an extreme close liking of anything tofu related, amplified by his best friend being one. He'd loved tofus so much that he begged his father to buy him big boy boxers with tofus on the legs when he grew out of briefs.

Chibi, however, liked gobballs. Whether it was the noise they made when you walked by or how fluffy and huggable they looked, Chibi wore clothing covered in the cloud-coloured lawn mowers. For his birthday one year, Chibi begged Alibert for his own gobball. Because they couldn't look after a real one, Alibert bought him a stuffed animal gobball that was as big as Chibi was at the time. It rested in the corner of the room watching over its owner as he slept.

Yugo quickly got dressed, making sure to include the pull ups under the cotton pants. He crawled into bed and laid under the thick covers. The whole time Adamai read, Yugo's mind was elsewhere. He wondered if Otomai would even show up and if he did, whether he'd be able to help.

Eventually, the young eliatrope fell asleep. Adamai noticed at about chapter three that everyone was passed out. Adamai started to nod off himself, so he brushed his teeth, turned out the light, and rolled up in his own bed.

The sound of rain kept up all night to help lull the dragon to sleep. The heavy clouds overhead still had plenty left to say to the small farm town.

Alibert finished up with the guests late and decided to do the dishes in the morning. He walked over to the boys' room to check on them and saw that they were all sound asleep. He quietly tiptoed around the room kissing each of the boys on the head and closed the door behind him on his way to his own room. Alibert had a feeling that tomorrow would have a lot in store for the inn family.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun rose on the hills of Emelka, once again blocked by the blanket of clouds covering the town. The rain kept its pace throughout the night, causing the area to look grey and sad. The townsfolk loved the rain and the idea of the end of Summer, but they weren't ready to give up on the sun completely. After a few days of rain, the people were starting to wish for the sun to return.

The innkeeper groggily rolled out of bed at his normal time, grabbed his robe and slippers, and went to check on the boys. He had trouble sleeping the previous night due to dreams of Yugo getting so young that he'd go back into his dofus. Alibert loved the idea of his eldest being young again, but he wouldn't wish to ruin Yugo's life forever. All the worrying father could do is hope that Otomai had a solution to their problem.

He turned the doorknob to the boys' room and found Adamai already awake. The dragon was standing over his brother's bed looking worried. Alibert knew instantly that something wasn't right. Adamai wasn't one to show fear, so when it did show on his face, then something was truly worrisome.

From the older dragon's position over Yugo's bed, Alibert had a good idea of what that meant. As Alibert walked over to Yugo, he could see the young boy smaller than he was the previous night. Yugo appeared to be no older than four years old. He was curled up in his baggy pyjamas and sucked his thumb while he slept soundly.

"I mailed the oculus to Otomai myself. And still, Yugo's condition got worse. I'm not sure what to do Dad."

Alibert placed a hand on Adamai's shoulder. "We'll just have to wait for Otomai and hope that he can help. This is getting very serious. I think I'll close the inn until we get this whole thing settled."

Adamai took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll go find some smaller clothes for him. There's some we have still in storage in the attic."

Adamai left his room and made his way to the stairs leading up. The boys had just help Alibert move things up there to save some space in their rooms. Adamai flicked on the switch to the light dangling overhead and adjusted his eyes to the brightness. He spotted a cardboard box labelled 'Old Clothes' and took it back with him to their room.

The two remaining boys were awake and staring at their brother wide-eyed and open-mouthed when Adamai re-entered the room holding the box.

Chibi and Grougal were poking at Yugo's small feet, laughing at their size. "Now I'm the older brother. This is so cool Grougal!"

Yugo was just starting to wake from his sleep, sitting up against his pillow. His head bobbed a few times as he nearly fell asleep sitting up. Alibert grabbed the tiny child and cradled him.

"Chibi please don't mess with your brother. This is only temporary. He'll be back to his normal size in no time. You two boys should head downstairs. I'll join you shortly." Alibert motioned for Adamai to put the box next to the bed.

Adamai placed the box down and ripped the tape sealing it shut. Inside were clothes that both Chibi and Yugo wore when they were younger, along with some baby-type accessories. Adamai found a small white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue overalls. "Will these do?"

"Yeah, but first I need to bathe him. He didn't seem to wash his hair last night. Plus, he'll need a smaller hat. I'm sure there is one in there that I made him when this one got dirty."

Yugo's hat was now longer than he was tall. Plus, it still had the stains from what looked like the previous weeks' worth of fun. Yugo hair was oily and matted from sleeping with the dirty hat.

At the mention of a bath, Yugo started to stir awake in his father's arms. Alibert held Yugo in a hug and rubbed his back.

"You need a bath little gobball. You'll get all sick and gross if you don't. I'll help you so no need to worry. Adamai, go make sure the other boys aren't burning down the kitchen."

Adamai nodded and left the two alone.

Alibert grabbed the clothes as well as a few other things from the box and carried them with Yugo to the bathroom. Alibert sat Yugo on top of the toilet while he started to fill the tub with warm water.

Yugo's clothing from last night were too loose on his new frame and started falling off him. Alibert helped Yugo undress and put the dirty clothes in a pile near the door. When he went to grab the oversized hat, Yugo held onto the rim of it tightly.

"Yugo, it's okay. I just need to wash your hair. I've got a new hat for you to wear when we're done."

Alibert held up a smaller version of his current hat, but without the tail end. This was Yugo's hat for when he wanted to go running outside. The tail of his hat would often trail in the dirt or trip him as he ran, so Alibert had to sew a smaller one for him to use; still fitted with two horn-shaped additions on top.

Yugo fought for a second before seeing bubbles rise from the tub. Alibert hardly ever allowed them to have bubble baths, mostly due to Grougal's mishap a while ago. Yugo let go on his hat and climbed into the cloud of warm apple-scented bubbles. While Yugo was distracted, Alibert grabbed the boy's hat and added it to the pile of dirty clothes.

Yugo sat in the water and started playing with the bubbles as his father lathered him with a soapy washcloth. Alibert noticed Yugo's hair was very much in need of a wash.

"Your hair is all covered in some dust or dirt. Probably from when you boys went on your adventure."

Yugo raised his arms in the air, holding handfuls of bubbles, and shouted "adventure!"

Alibert poured some shampoo onto Yugo's matted hair and rubbed his fingers through it.

Yugo always had a problem with people seeing him without his hat on, but once someone ran their fingers through his hair, he'd calm down immediately. Another secret reason Alibert called Yugo a little gobball was Yugo's near animal-like reaction to having his head scratched. He was sure that Yugo was a bowmeow in another life.

The relaxing feel of his father's hands massaging his head caused Yugo to lean back against the side of the tub. As he closed his eyes, Yugo's tiny wakfu wings started to form on top of his head, just faintly glimmering into view. They also seemed to grow smaller with the rest of Yugo's body.

Alibert was scared when he first found out about them, but now he was completely okay with Yugo and the fact how he was an eliatrope. Chibi would have the same reaction too when someone rubbed his hair, but Yugo's were more pronounced. At least, they were before this curse.

Alibert finished rinsing off his son before draining the tub and wrapping the small boy in a towel. When Yugo was dried, Alibert grabbed something on top of the pile of clothes. Yugo immediately shook his head and took a step back.

"Yugo, this is the second night you've wet yourself in bed. Plus, you did once during the day. These are just for protection."

Yugo shook his head angrily. "I'm not a baby! I don't need a diaper."

"No one will even notice them. I know you're not a baby. That's why I need you to be brave and wear them just in case something happens. Can you be a big brave boy for me," Alibert asked holding out the fluffy white diaper. It had more poof to them than the pull-ups that he wore the day before.

Yugo stood there with his arms folded, turning away from his father.

"How about this? If you wear them all day today, then we can have some ice cream after dinner tonight." Alibert didn't often partake in dessert, so pulling it out as a bargaining chip was effective to earn the boys' compliance.

Yugo thought for a moment. "Strawberry ice cream?"

"Yes. We still have some and I know it's your favourite."

Yugo smiled and nodded. With some help, Alibert strapped the padded diaper around Yugo's waist and finished dressing him. The fluff could be noticed under his overalls, but Alibert didn't want to tell Yugo. Once fully dressed, the pair made their way downstairs for breakfast.

Downstairs, Chibi and Grougal were enjoying the oatmeal that Adamai made for them. The boys usually protest to having oatmeal unless Adamai makes it. Alibert would try to make it as healthy as possible, but Adamai would secretly add brown sugar and some cinnamon to the pot. He'd also cut up some dried fruits and mix them in as well.

When Adamai finished passing out portions to the two small boys, he could hear Yugo and Alibert coming into the room. The first thing that Adamai noticed was Yugo's new outfit along with his oddly fluffed hips. He stared at the smaller eliatrope for a second before opening his mouth but was cut-off by Alibert.

"Boys, I'm going to keep an eye on Yugo until this whole thing gets fixed. Otomai should be over later today, so I'll be closing the inn. Maybe you can help me give the dining room a good washing." His suggestion was met with a groan from Chibi and Grougal. "No complaining. You've been playing for the past few days. Now is time for us to do some chores. It won't be that long, I'm sure."

Alibert lifted Yugo and placed him in a chair. Yugo tried grabbing for his spoon, but could barely see over his bowl. Alibert picked him back up and sat Yugo in his lap. Alibert took the spoon and started feeding Yugo.

Yugo chomped down on the oatmeal, tasting how much sweeter it was than it looked, and happily kicked his feet.

"Is Yugo going to be alright, Dad," asked the older dragon.

"Don't worry. He'll be back to his old self in no time. Otomai should have an idea or two when he gets here. In the meantime, I think Adamai can help Yugo and I clean up this kitchen. Chibi and Grougal can start by sweeping the dining room."

Yugo's eyes lit up when he heard he'd be helping. Adamai, however, shot Alibert a concerned look. There were plenty of ways to injure oneself in the kitchen. Normally, Yugo would test half of those each week. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary seeing Yugo walking around with a bandage or two on his fingers.

Adamai turned to his father. "Are you sure Yugo could help us? Isn't it a little dangerous in here for him?"

"Of course, it is, but I need someone _smart_ and _strong_ to help me count the bags and boxes in our pantry." With every emphasised word, Alibert rubbed Yugo's head.

It took the young eliatrope a moment while he finished his breakfast until he realized what his father was looking for. "Papa, I'm big and smart. I can count!"

Alibert faked sounding surprised. "Oh really? Do you think you can help me count them today?"

Yugo nodded quickly and stared up at his father. "Yeah! I'll do a good job!"

"Thank you so much. I'm sure that with your help, we'll get through this work in no time."

When they were all finished with their breakfast, the kids added their dishes to the large pile from the party last night. With how late the party finished, Alibert decided he would do the dishes during the day.

"I'll start on these dishes. Those customers must have really had a good time," Adamai said grabbing the soap and a towel from a cabinet.

Alibert took two brooms and a dustpan out of the closet and passed them to Chibi and Grougal.

Grougal gave Chibi a determined look. "I bet I can sweep up more dirt than you. My corner will be super clean."

"You're on!" Chibi grabbed his own broom and ran alongside his brother into the dining room.

Alibert gave Yugo a piece of paper and a box of crayons and lead the little eliatrope into the pantry. Alibert took a chair and placed Yugo on it in the middle of the pantry.

"Now I need you to count all of the things on every shelf. You can use different colours for different things, but I need to know how much things we have."

"Got it," Yugo piped up, beginning to count the bags of produce out loud.

Alibert rubbed Yugo's hat and turned to help Adamai. "I'll get to cleaning the stove tops."

"Are you sure he will be okay? Yugo's not the good at math on a good day." Adamai filled up the sink with soapy water and started scrubbing the stack of plates.

"Yup. That is why I gave him that task. He'll be busy for a while, giving us some safe room to clean. Plus, there aren't many things he can hurt himself with in there. It's a win-win."

As the rain kept up its pace outside, the inn family was hard at work cleaning up as much as they could. When Chibi and Grougal were done sweeping, Adamai helped them fill up a mop bucket with soapy water so they could mop the dining room. Alibert would check in on Yugo between every task to make sure he was okay.

When he finished with the stovetops and the pots, Alibert opened the pantry to see how far Yugo had gotten. Strewn across the floor was nearly an entire sack's-worth of potatoes, with Yugo on his knees counting each individual one before placing it back down on the ground.

"Okay Yugo, let me see how much you've done so far." Alibert reached out for the paper in Yugo's hand, but the child withdrew away from his father.

"No, I wanna read it out to you."

"Okay then," Alibert said straightening up. "Let me hear it." He pulled a small notepad and pencil out from his breast pocket and started writing. "First, how many onions do we have?"

"Two."

"Two… bags?"

"Yeah-huh," Yugo nodded.

"Okay then. How many peppers?"

"A few."

"Mm-hmm. And flour?"

"Lots!"

Alibert could feel where this was going and decided to play along. He could easily recount their stock later. He smiled down at the young boy. "Okay, lots of flour. And potatoes?"

"Oh, I wasn't done counting, but I'm up to many."

"Many potatoes sound good to me. You're such a good helper Yugo. I'm glad you're helping us." Alibert ruffled Yugo's hat, making the small child giggle. Alibert took a glance at Yugo's paper and noticed there were some counting marks on a part of the sheet, but the rest of the paper was a drawing of what looked like a farm. Alibert imagined Yugo just gave up on counting and decided to draw instead.

"Can I continue counting? I'm almost done!"

"Sure. I'll get some lunch ready for us." Alibert closed the door slightly, grabbed some vegetables on his way out, and placed them on the counter next to a cutting board.

Adamai came in through the swinging doors smiling, and said, "Hey dad, we have a visitor."

From behind the white dragon was a thin man with blue hair and brown pointed ears. The visitor smiled at Alibert and extended his hand. "It's good to see you again Alibert."

Alibert shook the man's hand, smiling back at him. "Likewise, Otomai. Please excuse the mess. I tried cleaning up as much as I could before you got here."

"You probably shouldn't have. My work isn't the cleanest. You can just ask my son how many times I've nearly blown up my lab."

From behind the thin man, a small green figure appeared. The small boy had two long ears and a single protruding tooth from his lips. The boy was being followed by Chibi and Grougal, who knew him already.

"Yeah, papa nearly burnt down the whole forest one time! It was awesome!" Ogrest's words made Chibi and Grougal's eyes light up.

"Thanks, Ogrest, but I assure you Alibert that I won't destroy your lovely establishment. I'll do my best to make as little mess as possible."

"Thank you. I cleared off this counter for your work. I hope it's enough space for you."

"It should do fine. I only brought by travelling kit." Otomai placed his shoulder bag on the floor next to the counter.

The bag, not true to its size, made a loud thud on the ground. The scientist started pulling tubes and vials far longer than the bag was on the outside. Alibert imagined how the bag was enchanted with some sort of enlargement spell; making it bigger on the inside.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to see our patient," Otomai said setting up his kit.

"Sure. He's in the pantry." Alibert walked over to the half-opened door and saw Yugo still counting away at every potato. "Yugo, there's someone here who wants to see you." Alibert extended his hand towards the sitting boy, raised him up, and carried him over to their guest.

Yugo turned his face away, looking shyly at Otomai.

Shocked slightly at how far this spell has affected the child, Otomai stared in surprise at the kid in Alibert's arms. "Well, hello there Yugo. My name is Otomai. You helped me and my son out before. Do you remember?"

Yugo looked over Otomai, then down to the green child beside him. He shook his head, confused about these unfamiliar faces.

"That nasty spell must have affected your memory too. Well, I'm a scientist. And I'm going to make you better. That's my job." Otomai took a small cotton swab as well as a lollypop out from the bag and offered them to Yugo. "I'll give you this lollipop if you suck on this cotton swab for five seconds. I'm going to need some samples to run some tests. Can you do that for me?"

Yugo's eye widened at the shininess of the blue candy and nodded his head. He took the cotton swab and stuffed it in his mouth. When he felt how weird the cotton was, and its lack of flavour, Yugo's face contorted slightly.

After a few seconds, Otomai took out the swab and replaced it with the lollipop. Yugo shuddered for a second before shoving the candy stick into his face; the flavour was much more inviting than the cotton swab.

Otomai placed the swab into a vial and capped it tightly. "Thank you, Yugo. It will be a while before I can get to the root of this problem. In the meantime, you should enjoy this second chance at toddlerhood while you can. Not everyone gets a second chance in life."

Alibert placed Yugo down and returned to making their lunch.

Adamai grabbed some bread and started counting out slices for them. "Have you found anything so far about this curse? And what about the oculus?"

"Oh, this thing," Otomai asked grabbing the necklace from his pocket barehanded. "I ran it through some tests, and other than being made of a rather old metal, it doesn't seem to have any properties that would make me think it's the cause of this malady."

"How did you test it? If it's made of something super old, then how can we even begin to know what to test it for?"

"Oh, I wore it nearly as soon as I got your letter. I've had it on me since then, and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to take place."

Adamai looked completely shocked and confused. "I sent you a cursed object, and your first intention was to put it on and try it yourself?!"

Otomai shrugged. "Science is a study of trial and error. Plus, I'm _way_ older than Yugo. I was kind of looking forward to feeling light and spry again this morning. Unfortunately, it isn't the necklace that did this. That just means we'll have to find out what _did_ cause this to happen to Yugo. Adamai, I'm going to need your help. Tell me everything that happened in that crypt. Even the smallest detail could help."

Adamai thought for a moment, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary from their trip. "Well, for one, it's a crypt. I'm not exactly sure what _out of the ordinary_ is. And two, it was a few days ago, and I've been dealing with **him** ever since then." Adamai motioned towards the small child sitting on the floor thoroughly enjoying his candy.

"Then, with your father's permission, I'm going to need you to go back to the crypt and search it over once again. While you do that, I can run a test on this Yugo sample to see if it's something virus-borne. And you can have this back." Otomai handed Adamai the necklace.

Adamai took the shiny object, turned it over him his palm a few times before putting the string around his own next. "Dad, do you think I could go after lunch?"

Alibert thought for a moment, taking a pause in the vegetables he was cutting. "I don't want you to. You said there were traps and dead people. It is far too dangerous."

"But da- "

"But," Alibert cut him off. "if this is the only way to help cure Yugo, then I can make an exception this time. Just please be safe." Alibert turned towards Adamai, giving him his worried look.

Adamai knew that face very well because he saw it frequently. It would often accompany any request that the boys had about anything outside of the immediate area of the Inn.

Adamai smiled up at his father. "Thanks, Dad. I'll be fine, I promise."

Adamai and Alibert finished making some sandwiches and cut some vegetable sticks. They made enough for their two guests as well. Chibi and Grougal fought over who would get to sit next to Ogrest until Otomai gave his son his chair so each of the boys sat on either side of their friend. Otomai was eating his lunch while finishing his set of tubes and test strips.

Alibert held Yugo on his lap and fed him a sandwich with the crust cut off. Yugo took his time eating, not liking the flavour shift from his sweet candy to a ham and cheese sandwich. Yugo would turn his face away whenever his father attempted to feed him a carrot stick.

"Yugo, you have to eat your vegetables too."

"Nu-uh. I don't like them!"

"But Chibi is eating his vegetables. He's being a big boy about it. See?" Alibert pointed to Chibi who currently had two carrot sticks in his gums imitating Ogrest's teeth. All three boys were laughing at each other. "Okay, bad example. But you need to be a big boy and eat all of your food."

Yugo sat there with his arms folded.

"Chibi, Grougal, how about when you two are finished, you take Ogrest into the toy room and play for a while?"

The boys looked up at their father happy and continued eating their food.

Yugo looked up at Alibert and said, "But I wanna play too!"

"Well, then you'll have to finish all of your food."

Yugo stared at the bright orange carrot stick for a moment before taking a great big bite which made a crunching noise. Yugo giggled at the sound and took a second bite. Alibert patted his sons head while he ate.

Adamai finished first and placed his dishes in the now-empty sink. "I'll head out now before it starts getting dark."

"One-second Adamai," the scientist said between bites. He reached into his bag and brought out a small potion. Otomai opened it, spilt a single drop on the floor next to him, and gave it to Adamai recapped. "This recall potion will bring you right back here much faster than walking."

Adamai nodded and walked through the swinging doors into the dining room, and towards the front door. He grabbed his rubber boots and his cloak and ran out into the rain.

The clouds seemed to keep their hold on the town and turned what should have been a bright mid-day into a gloomy grey scene. Off in the distance, the white dragon could hear a rumbling coming from the clouds. The bright flashes of light were still a fair distance away, but they looked like they were coming closer. Adamai picked up the pace to a swift jog to try to avoid the storm, determined to finish this today.

The boys finished their food, placed their plates in the sink, and ran upstairs with Ogrest in tow. Yugo noticed how they had finished, and tried eating faster. With a mouthful of carrots, he jumped down from Alibert's lap and darted for the stairs.

"Be careful. Don't get too rough with your brothers," Alibert called up after the small boy waddling up the stairs.

Chibi and Grougal were showing off their pirate toys to Ogrest, who took a liking to the shininess of the toy swords. They all divided hats and eye patches to each other when Yugo pushed open the door.

Yugo saw the three boys all dressing up as pirates, so he rushed to the box of pirate gear. All the hats and eye patches are being used, as well as the swords. The only thing left in the box is a toy spyglass and a hook. He reached for the hook and puts it on his left hand. When he reached for the spyglass, Grougal grabs it before Yugo can.

"Hey, I wanna use that," Yugo whined.

"Too slow. I already got it." Grougal stretched it out and was looking through it when Yugo jumped up and grabbed it.

"No fair! You have a sword and a hat. I wanna use the spyglass!"

Grougal pulled the spyglass hard. Yugo lost his grip and fell backwards onto his bottom. Yugo then started to cry.

Chibi tried calming down the situation. "Just give it to him. We don't need it to fight. We have swords."

Grougal huffed, dropping the spyglass near the snivelling toddler. "Fine, if he's going to be such a baby about it."

Yugo sniffled and stopped crying when he saw the spyglass. "I'm not a baby," he mumbled under his breath while he stood up.

The boys set up some pillows to resemble a pirate ship and ruffle some blankets to make the bed look like an island.

Chibi stood up on the front of the 'ship'. "Okay, Grougal and I will be on the boat, and Yugo and Ogrest can be on the island. When we come close, then we'll fight. Go easy on Yugo though. He's not as tough as the rest of us."

"You're going down pirate scum," shouted Ogrest as he waved his sword.

The two pirate boys scooted their pillows closer to the island until they hit the side of the bed.

"I think he found the land captain," Grougal said in his best accent.

"Aye, I think we did matey. Let's start looking for treasure. I'm sure it's here!"

Ogrest jumped off the bed and pointed his sword at the boat. "Not so fast pirates! This is our island. You'll have to fight us for it!"

Yugo slowly shuffled down off the bed and held up his hook towards the boat.

The pirates jumped off the side of their boat and started swinging at the two natives. Grougal fought Ogrest while Chibi swung at Yugo. Chibi made sure to swing lightly, giving Yugo ample time to block with his hook. Grougal, however, was not holding back on Ogrest, but the green-skinned child was able to return just as much force with his swings.

The boys continued sword fighting, doing spins and dodging in slow motion until Ogrest's sword flew out of his hand. Ogrest held up his arms in surrender and told Yugo to do the same.

Chibi and Grougal take the two natives and pretend to tie their hand behind their backs, placing them on their boat. While their prisoners were tied up, the two pirates searched the 'island' for any treasure that they could find.

Coming back empty-handed, Grougal pointed his sword at Ogrest. "Where did you hide the treasure?"

"I'll never tell you."

Grougal squinted his eyes, then pointed his sword at Yugo. "You might not, but your little friend might." Grougal put the sword up to Yugo's nose. "Where is the treasure?"

"No," Yugo said plainly.

"I know you know where it is. Tell me, and we won't feed you to the sharks."

"No," Yugo said, this time freeing his hands and swinging at Grougal.

"You can't do that. You were tied up." Grougal blocked every swing easily, starting to get slightly angry at Yugo.

"I used my hook to cut the ropes, duh."

Grougal growled at his brother and swung upwards hard enough to knock the hook out of Yugo's hand. "Now you have no weapon. Tell me where you buried the treasure, or it's shark time."

"Nu-uh," Yugo said pulling out his spyglass and whacked Grougal square on the head.

Grougal winced in pain before he swung hard down onto Yugo' head, hitting Yugo in the same spot.

Yugo held the top of his head and started crying.

Chibi stood between them. "I told you not to be rough with him.

"Yeah, he's just a little kid. Why do you have to be so mean to your brother," Ogrest asked still pretending to be tied up.

"He hit me first. He's just being a little baby."

"I'm not a baby," Yugo cried walking out the door.

"Great, now he's going to tattle to dad." Grougal huffed, throwing his sword on the bed.

Ogrest stood up, taking off his hat. "That was not cool, Grougal."

After a few moments of silence between the boys, they heard their father's footsteps coming to the door.

Alibert opened the toy room, holding Yugo in a hug. "I thought I told you three to not play rough around him."

"Sorry Papa," Chibi said. "We weren't trying to hurt him. Grougal just got mad."

"It's his fault for being a baby," Grougal said crossing his arms.

Chibi eyed Grougal. "Said the boy who can't calm down over a game. We'll play something different."

Alibert sighed. "Actually, I think it's time to come downstairs. Cleanup here, and I'll meet you boys in a moment. You can start by cleaning the dished from Lunch."

The boys nodded, taking off their pirate gear and putting them away.

Alibert entered his own room holding the whining child. Yugo had calmed down from his fight but was still grumpy. Yugo didn't want to be excluded from his brothers doing things, but he just wasn't as big as them. His attitude helped Alibert see how much a nap was called for.

Alibert pulled back the thick quilt and laid Yugo down in the centre of the pillows. Yugo crossed his arms and pouted as Alibert tried tucking him in. Every time Alibert finished, Yugo would kick the covers off him while avoiding looking at his father. This kept up for a few minutes before Alibert finally spoke up.

"Yugo, there's no reason for this. You could really use some quiet time to calm down. Please just try to sleep."

The small child started sniffling, still avoiding eye contact. "It's not fair. I'm a big boy. I don't want a nap. Grougal needs a nap. It's not fair!"

Alibert knew what to do when Yugo was acting up like this. He really didn't like to do it because of his kind-hearted nature, but a close friend of his told Alibert that this was the best way to treat a tantruming child.

Alibert stood up and walked away from Yugo and towards the door. Yugo realized his father was leaving, and he started crying incoherently. Alibert fought every muscle in his body but knew that the alone time would do some good. When he started closing the door behind him, Alibert heard Yugo crying out his name.

"Papa! Papa, please… I'm scared." Yugo's voice changed from one of anger to one of worry.

Alibert stopped at the door for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Hold on one minute. Let me get something, and I'll come right back."

Alibert walked briskly into the boys' room and looked around for a large fluffy object. The object he was looking for was sitting in the corner of the room, staring at one of the beds. Alibert grabbed it and made his way back into his room.

When he opened the door, Yugo's whimpers stopped as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. Alibert held up the fluffy white stuffed gobball for Yugo to see.

"This big gobball is tired too, but he doesn't have anyone to cuddle with. Do you think you could hold him, just until he falls asleep?"

Yugo nodded and held out both arms towards the stuffed animal. When it was close enough Yugo grabbed it in a large hug and rolled over on his side as he pet it.

Alibert took the opportunity to cover Yugo and tuck him in. Alibert kissed his son on the head and rubbed his hair. "Sleep tight you two. I'll come back when dinner is ready."

Alibert came back downstairs with a look of exhaustion on his face. He used to have very few problems putting Yugo down for a nap before. Alibert could blame the curse, but that wouldn't change how emotionally unhinged Yugo was lately. It was almost too much for him to handle. Thankfully, he had Adamai assisting where he could, and now they were hosting the world's greatest scientist under their roof. If the three of them couldn't get through this, then there really was no hope for the now-youngest eliatrope.

"I finally got him to calm down enough to lay still. We should have a couple hours before he wakes up." Alibert bobbed his way around the tubes and potions that Otomai set up in the kitchen, careful not to ruin any progress that the feca made. "What have you come up with Otomai?"

Otomai was swirling a few different liquids in a beaker while writing down their reactions. "Well, as I'm sure you have figured out by now, this curse has been regressing Yugo to a younger state; not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. I'm sure you've noticed the additional tears."

"No, that's pretty much normal around here," Chibi added, washing the last plate from lunch before handing it off to Grougal. Ogrest had just finished putting the dried cups in the cupboard.

Alibert rolled his eyes. "Boys, I don't want you to play down here while Otomai is working. Yugo needs his sleep, and I don't think you guys can be quiet enough to play upstairs. So, you three can use the dining room since we're closed."

"Yay," the three boys exclaimed before they jumped off the stool and ran through the swinging doors.

Otomai smiled at the boys, then turned his gaze to Alibert. "You have a way with kids."

"When you raise four of them, you need to be good at it. Yugo wasn't this cranky when he was younger. Maybe it's because he has siblings this time around."

"I doubt it. It's probably this curse mixing around his emotions and… physical control. I noticed the diaper."

"He had an accident or two while he slept. Luckily I still had just a few left over from when Chibi was young."

"That's what I mean. You just happen to have the things needed to take care of these kids. I swear someone is watching you from above Alibert. I only wish I could be as good of a father as you."

"Thank you Otomai. That means a lot." Alibert patted the scientist's back. "Any progress?"

"We won't know for certain until Adamai gets back. Was there anything here that was out of the ordinary?"

Alibert thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I was more worried about his size to notice anything different."

"Then it looks like we wait," Otomai said putting down his vials and sitting at the table.

An entire portal's-distance away from the inn, the crypt stood exactly the way that the two adventurers found it previously. Deep in the underground ruins, Adamai was searching the hall top to bottom holding a lit torch. He tried to keep as close to the steps they previously made as he could remember.

"Okay, first were the holes in the floor," he said while stepping over them. "Next was the giant boulder, complete with some victims. Then there was this door."

Adamai put his hands on the door carefully, trying not to disturb the scene; also, because the half-shattered door looked as if someone would get a splinter from just staring at it too long. Adamai remembered that Yugo was too weak to move the door, so he had to bust it open.

"Not that. Maybe it's something in here," he said giving the circular room a look over. Staring at the walls, he remembered what Yugo said about the glyphs that were glowing. Adamai closed his eyes and focused on his wakfu vision. Once he felt ready, his eyes shot open.

Around the room, which was now coloured a deep blue, Adamai could see something seeping in through the walls. Upon a closer look, he could see what looked like small streams of wakfu energy flowing into the room, but couldn't make out where they were coming from.

Adamai blinked hard and returned his vision to normal. Rubbing his chin, he tried to think of a way around the rocks to see what, if anything, was on the other side causing this wakfu leak.

Adamai shrugged and pulled back his fight, ready to drill a hole into the stone wall. As he reared back, he noticed the shiny necklace hanging around his neck. He grabbed it and remembered Yugo saying something about using it to help him see the pictures.

Closing his eyes again, Adamai focused on his inner energy, and once more turning on his wakfu vision. This time, he held up the oculus to his eye.

From where the walls were bleeding energy, Adamai could now see pictures and symbols of what looked like eliatropes and portals. He rubbed his hand along the walls, and read the pictures as they seemed to be all around the circular room. The pictures depicted many hooded people all living in what looked like a spaceship.

"Is this the Zinit," he asked out loud. His voice echoing throughout the circular room.

Adamai ran his fingers along the rest of the wall trying to read the pictures as best as he could. The longer he stared through his wakfu vision, the blurrier the pictures got. Adamai, even though he was trained by Grougal back before the time of Nox, had his limits too. And with the lack of exercise, he wasn't as good at it as Yugo was.

Not looking where he was walking, Adamai's shin contacted the small opened chest on the floor. He yelled an expletive that Alibert would not be happy to hear and fell to the floor grabbing his leg. After wincing in pain, Adamai opened his eyes to see his wakfu vision wore off.

In front of him was the small wooden chest that Yugo found the oculus in. In the glow of the torch, Adamai could also see that the chest knocked up some dust from its inside.

"Wait a minute… What if- "Adamai was cut off by a sneeze. "That's right, Yugo opened this chest and it sprayed him with this stuff. This might be- "he sneezed again. Adamai rolled onto his feet and collected as much of this weird dust as he could get, and put it in an empty vial from Otomai's kit.

When he felt that he had enough, Adamai grabbed the potion from his bag and drank the contents. With a short crackling sound, the white dragon disappeared from the crypt, leaving the single torch burning to itself.


	5. Chapter 5

The clouds over Amakna had finally shown signs of lessening. Rays of sunlight shone through the thick blanket of clouds giving the people below some relief from the constant rain that had filled their skyline for the past few days. The rain kept up in part here and there, trying its hardest to stay the star of the show, but it was now the sun's turn.

Emelka still had some choppy patches of rain overhead, but the villagers could see blue sky peering through the cracks in the rain's facade. As much of a help that Mother Nature had been to them and their crops, the people looked forward to the warmth of the sun.

Alibert was in the kitchen with Otomai, both chatting over a warm cup of tea. They discussed their jobs, their kids, anything that came up to help pass the time.

Even though Alibert wasn't related to Yugo, he could see a lot of himself in the small child. They both had a sense of impatience about them; not because of the lack of things to do, but because they want to be helpful. They both wanted to be able to help those who were in need and absolutely hated having to just sit and wait. It was a trait that helped Alibert back when he was an adventurer and, according to the stories, was a driving piece of Yugo's character for his adventures.

On the other side of the table was the thin, blue-haired scientist who'd smile at Alibert's stories, but found himself getting lost in his own reflection staring back up at him from his cup. He had an incredibly successful career and a fun-filled life, but the idea of not being enough for the next generation ate him up in his dreams.

Otomai wanted kids but he knew that thanks to his job, he'd never be able to grow as close to them as Alibert and his four were. He wasn't neglectful of Ogrest by any means. He just never seemed to have the time to do the stereotypical father figure things like camping or teach him to ride a bike. If he couldn't do that with one child, Otomai was sure that he wouldn't have time for if he had a second child. He'd have to start dating again too, and that would be quite a hefty thing to juggle.

The two adults shared their ideas about government, customer turnout, and holiday plans while the hot beverage in their hands grew colder. Alibert would also tell Otomai stories about the kids when they were younger, and the things that Yugo got into and did before he left to meet his dragon brother. Every ten minutes or so they could hear the shifting of furniture in the dining room as the kid played to themselves.

Between their conversation and sips of their room-temperature drinks, a loud fizzle filled the room followed by a crack sound. In a flash of light, centred around a spot near the counter, Adamai appeared in the room holding a small glass. The sudden shock of light blinded the young dragon and the two men for just a moment.

"I've got it," Adamai explained holding up the vial to the two sitting at the table. "It was the dust from inside the chest. Yugo got blasted by it right when he opened it while I was standing safely away from it."

Otomai stood up, grabbed the vial, and held it close to his eyes to get a good look at it. "Sounds plausible. I'll have to run some tests to see just how potent this stuff is."

Alibert took both cups from the tables a put them in the sink. "I'm glad to see you're back in one-piece Adamai. Go upstairs and get washed up, and try not to track any of that around our clean floors. But, you must be quiet. Yugo's sleeping."

The dragon boy nodded and made his way upstairs, skilfully avoiding the creaky steps.

Otomai grabbed a few vials that he filled with different coloured fluids and poured a small amount of the dust into each one. "This step will take the longest while we wait for the spell to settle. Once I know how strong it is, then I can punch this thing right in its magical non-body-having jaw." He made an uppercut motion and smiled at Alibert.

"How long are we looking at?" Alibert asked giving the coloured mixtures a look over.

"For freshly made spells, about five minutes. However, because this thing is as old as civilization… meh. Maybe four hours," Otomai said confidently in his work.

"And I take it that you invented this screening process yourself?"

"Of course. I needed some universal standard to help base all my patients' ailments from. And the furthest that medical science was at the time didn't encompass every other race's magic."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when a sample of something magical settles in the liquid, the liquid draws it to its base magical 'level' so to speak; turning no matter what type or class of spell it is into numbers. If the level is higher than the liquid, then it'll react. But if the liquid is stronger than the magic level, it won't react. That way we'll know how much of a punch something packs. Additionally, we'll know just what to pack to punch it back."

Alibert thought for a second, following Otomai's logic. "So, we're looking for the vial that doesn't react?"

"Exactly!"

"What do you mean when you say "react"?"

"Oh, it'll burst into flames," Otomai said flat-faced to his friend.

Alibert's face quickly grew a look of distress.

Seeing the inn-keeper's reaction, Otomai laughed. "Just kidding. The liquid will turn black. I told you I wouldn't destroy your kitchen."

Alibert signed, and half laughed at the joke. Otomai _did_ say that, but there was still a sliver of worry whether Alibert believed him.

"Now we sit and wait some more." Otomai took his spot back at the table, pulled out one of his journals, and started writing what Adamai found.

Upstairs the muscular white dragon finished his shower and was drying himself off when he heard soft snoring coming from his father's room. He slowly opened the door and saw a tiny lump in the blanket wearing a blue horned hat. Yugo was also cuddling up against a stuffy gobball that looked to be bigger than the small child.

Adamai smiled over at his brother, hearing the tiny snores coming from the peaceful child. Adamai liked how cute this whole ordeal made Yugo look.

When he was resting or happy, Yugo was very huggable and cuddly. However, when young-Yugo got angry he'd turn into this ball of rage. But due to his size compared to the others, he couldn't do any damage to anything or anyone. In Adamai's mind, upset-Yugo best resembled a small potted cactus; not immediately threatening and entertainingly small.

Adamai smiled to himself before he carefully closed the door and walked quietly back downstairs. Seeing the two older men sitting at the table Adamai pulled out a chair and joined them in their conversation.

Alibert stopped how sentence and turned towards the dragon. "What happened down in the crypt?"

"It was exactly the way Yugo and I left it. I took a long time and made sure that I checked every single possibility. I retraced our steps, and the only outlier between us was he was the one to open the chest. That must be it. I did use the oculus and I understand why Yugo was so hellbent on going back. Those pictures show eliatropes for sure. That place must have been built right around the time that our people first got here. I was busy looking at the lights when the chest's lid found my shin."

The two adults nodded at Adamai. Otomai spoke up first. "Was there anything special about the chest?"

"Nothing from either normal looks nor wakfu vision. Just your average old rusty box."

"Okay. I've put some of the samples under my analysis system. We'll know in a few hours just how potent of an antidote I'll have to make; if this is the real source."

"It sounds like it is," Alibert said. "Adamai used the process of elimination and broke down every part of the scene. The one things left that stand out must be the answer. You did a good job Adamai. I'm proud of you." The inn-keeper rubbed his dragon son's head.

"It was your bedtime stories that taught us that dad." Adamai was smiling, enjoying his father's praise.

Back when Adamai lived with Grougal on Oma Island, the older dragon would almost never acknowledge his achievements. Adamai was always told that he had to do better or be more prepared for when tragedy strikes. Adult-Grougal was a very negative-reinforcement kind of person; most likely because of how badly he viewed the world.

Alibert was almost the opposite of Grougal. He would come to raise Adamai as his own son, no questions asked. He included the dragon as part of the family and treated him with positive reinforcement. Coming to know how Alibert raised him helped Adamai learn what kind of person Yugo was.

There was a wood crashing sound that came from the dining room. The three at the table stared over at the swinging doors, waiting for an entrance. After a few seconds, Chibi's voice called out "Nothing broke" through the doors.

The three laughed at the response and Alibert stood up. "I'll go see what they're up to."

In the dining room, Chibi, Grougal, and Ogrest had set up a system of tents using the upturned chairs and some blankets from the hall closet. Their big-top-like structure covered three tables and hung over the side to cover the children underneath.

Alibert grabbed one corner of a blanket and lifted it. Staring back at him were three boys wearing toy masks. There were toy figures strewn across the floor in whatever system made sense to their game. Alibert couldn't make out exactly what they were doing, but if everyone was getting along, it was okay to him.

"You three seem to be busy little bees when you wanna be. I leave you alone for just a while and you've brought the entire circus to town."

The boys rolled their eyes and Grougal removed his mask to speak. "It's not a circus papa. We're raiders making a camp here in your inn. These figures are our prisoners. We're gonna eat them for trying to run away!"

Surprised at the kids' imagination, Alibert smiled and said "Well I hope you raiders won't eat too many prisoners before dinner. Ogrest, since you're our guests, what would you like us to have for dinner?"

The small green child thought for a moment before saying "Something fish?"

"I think I can do that. How about some mashed potatoes and gravy too?"

All three of the boys' faces lit up with big smiles.

Alibert nodded and said, "Alright. That looks like a resounding yes." Placing the tent wall back down he walked back into the kitchen to start getting dinner ready.

Otomai stood up and offered his hand in helping prepare dinner. He wanted to do something instead of having the other two prepare his food. Otomai didn't like feeling like some monarch being catered to.

The three of them prepared the fish and had the potatoes boiling when Adamai asked how his now-youngest eliatrope brother was doing in his absence.

Alibert spoke without breaking concentration on the carrot he was cutting. "Apparently life on the high seas got a little rougher than expected. Grougal and Yugo got into a scuffle. I knew they were going to be a bit rougher than usual because of how show-off kids get when their friends visit. So, I decided to put him down for a nap. It seemed best to separate him before someone truly got injured."

"Hopefully Ogrest isn't being a bad example for your boys," Otomai said putting the fish in the oven.

"Nah, it's the opposite if anything. Grougal has a record of being a little too rough with Chibi from a while ago. We've had to set boundaries as far as how rough they can get. Having someone who is just a tough as himself, I'm sure that Grougal is more than happy to have Ogrest over. He just needs to learn that not everyone is willing to bruise for fun. It's almost like raising a iop." Alibert scooped up the chopped carrots and put them in a separate boiling pot.

Otomai nodded looking slightly concerned how his son was bringing out the worst of someone else's child. "What exactly happened before with Chibi, if you don't mind me asking…"

Alibert leaned back against the counter and folded his arms as the food cooked. "Chibi came home with some pretty bad bruising, and it was Grougal who caused them. I was lucky enough to have Adamai talk to him. Dragons are still kind of a new concept. You can imagine the amount of 'How to Train your Dragon' books there are at the local library."

Adamai spoke up setting the table with plates. "Dragons can be stubborn. And the younger they are, the worse it gets. Grougal just needs a bigger dragon brother to tell him what is or isn't acceptable. Not big for the sake of overpowering him, but… I guess, threatening enough to be taken seriously? Dragons are weird."

Otomai had his notebook in hand as he already started taking notes. "But you're only nineteen. Aren't dragons supposed to live for hundreds of years? That would make you not that different from a hatchling."

Adamai slammed his fist on the table and took a hard step towards Otomai. "What did you call me?!"

Otomai jumped backwards from the white dragon's reaction and almost dropped his notebook on the stovetop. His eyes were wide and staring at the dragon.

After a second of seeing the scientist's reaction, Adamai loosened up and started laughing. "Ha, you should have seen your face. No, we dragons age up quickly at first, then it almost plateaus."

Otomai was hyperventilating, gripping the front of his shirt. "I can tell…"

Alibert put a hand on Otomai's shoulder. "Adamai, that wasn't very nice."

"No worries Alibert. I'm taking this as a learning process; as I do with nearly everything. I'm writing everything down about Adamai that I can. He's helping me form a figure example of what dragons are like, in the off chance that we are visited by anymore."

"Cool," Adamai said, finishing off the table with utensils. "Let me know if you need me to pose."

Alibert rolled his eyes. As the smell of fish started filling the kitchen, he excused himself to wake up Yugo.

When he opened the door to his room, he was happy to hear how Yugo was still asleep. "Maybe just until after dinner. There's no immediate pressing reason to wake him up," he thought to himself while slowly closing the door.

Finishing up dinner, the three cooks placed the food on the table and called the three boys into the kitchen. The swinging doors swung open to the three costumed raiders. Chibi and Ogrest both slid their masks to the top of their heads and took their seats.

The look and smell of the meal made Ogrest's face light up with a huge grin. "This looks great!"

"It's nothing really," Alibert smiled back. He imagined with the long hours in the lab, Otomai didn't have the time to make complete meals like this very often. It made the inn-keeper feel better knowing he's offering such a comfort.

"Where's Yugo," Chibi asked already chomping down on his food.

"I'm going to let him sleep some more. There's no reason to wake him up right now," Alibert answered, also enjoying his food.

The family enjoyed filling each other in what went on during their day; Adamai with his crypt adventure, Otomai with his magical filter process, and the three kids with the game that they were all completely invested in. This was how dinner normally went for the inn family, but it was a new feeling to the scientist. It was a warm comfort that he rarely had the chance to experience.

Halfway through the boys' story, Alibert noticed Otomai staring into his glass of water. Otomai looked lost in thought, his mind wandering someone far from here.

"A kama for your thoughts, friend?"

Otomai snapped out of his daze and looked over to Alibert. "Oh, sorry. I've just got… I'm mentally wrestling with something."

"Out with it. Don't keep us all in suspense."

Otomai could see that the boys stopped talking and were now staring at him as well. "I was just thinking. This, what you and your kids have right here, is nice. Soon enough, these little ones will be able to make dinner all by themselves; maybe even run the inn just like you. It just feels like time is so fleeting that we barely have time to sit down for long enough to enjoy what we have before it's swept away front right under us."

Otomai took a drink of his water and continued. "I know what happened to Yugo isn't seen as a blessing, but whoever was smart enough to make a trap like that had no idea what they were working with. Someone fabricated the answer to stretching time; and in this case, even turning back the clock's effects. This magic, if expanded upon, could help reverse someone's age. I know how you feel as a father Alibert, but as a scientist, I can only imagine what this potential unlocks. Xelors dedicate their whole lives to find something of this magnitude."

"What are you saying," Alibert asked unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"I'm saying, or rather asking, do you really want me to turn Yugo back to his real age? He's just been given a reset key; a second chance to change anything he didn't learn or do. More moments to share together as a family, like this one. And this time around, he'd even have the comfort of knowing that there was a way to reset anything negative that comes up."

The table fell silent as the two parents stared at each other. Alibert opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Otomai.

"It is your decision ultimately, and I completely offer my services as you deem fit. But, just for a moment, think about the opportunity in front of you."

Alibert closed his mouth and rubbed his chin. He put down his utensils, folded his arms, and sighed. "Honestly Otomai, I've given this some thought already; when we were waiting for you to come over. I realize what this means, and how much good something like this can do. But it wasn't just Yugo that grew through those years. I did too; we all grew being around our little adventurer. We've all come a great distance together. Keeping him young would rob every friend he's ever made of him. I don't deny the helpful benefits, but I think I can speak for all of us when I ask that I'd like my son back the way he was."

Otomai nodded. "I understand."

When he finished saying that, the vials on the counter behind him turned colour. All but the last one turned a disgusting cloudy black. The last vial glowed its original colour slightly brighter.

Adamai pointed over to the counter and said, "Hey, that looks slightly important."

The whole table turned to look at the vials which have taken their new colour.

"Yes, that sure does," Otomai said standing up and walking over to the vials. He carefully took the ones that turned black out of their stand and capped them. He then put them in a zipped pocket on the outside of his bag. Otomai also grabbed a few different powders and oils from inside the bag and placed them on the counter.

Alibert noticed the three boys all jump from their seats to go see what the scientist was doing. "No, kids. You should finish your dinner. Plus, this is too advanced for kids your age; you'd just get in the way. Let Otomai work in peace.

Adamai had finished already and walked over to the sink, eyeing what Otomai was working on. "So, it couldn't beat your strongest vial?"

Otomai responded without breaking concentration on the mixtures he was making. "This was just the strongest out of the materials I brought. My entire magical filtering system has about eight levels in total. Those higher levels need large bulky equipment that I have in my lab."

"Does its age have something to do with its strength? This stuff must be far older than your equipment."

"I thought about that. Things that are enchanted generally lose their lustre as time goes on and a curse is just a different kind of enchantment. Because this stuff is so old, it made it past my first three levels of the filter. I can only imagine how powerful this was at the time of its casting."

Adamai was standing next to the scientist watching his hands go from a bottle, to measuring spoons, to vials, both of which were flying with a sort of grace of someone who had done this craft for a very long time. "That also says something about its value."

"Without question. It's very 'Red Herring' to hide all the upfront magic in the curse protecting an object instead of the object itself; giving it the look of almost no magical property. That is unless the right person were to wield it. You hold onto that necklace Adamai."

The dragon teen nodded, stepping back to give Otomai more room to work.

When the kids were done eating, they put their dishes in the sink and stood next to Adamai, watching the scientist at work.

Alibert came over and herded the kids back into the dining room. "You three can play for about an hour more before you have to clean up your mess."

The boys ran back through the swinging doors and out of sight.

Alibert leaned over to Otomai. "About how long will making this antidote take?"

"Well, I'm making two doses; no more than about a shot-glass each should suffice. So… by my estimation, I'd guess thirty minutes?"

"Why two doses," asked the inn-keeper.

"One for Adamai, just in case he's affected by this curse as well. He did spend twice as long as Yugo in the crypt. I want to cover the bases."

"Sounds about right," Adamai spoke up, still watching the scientist at work. "I wouldn't want to turn into a whining, waddling, bed-wetter. Speaking of which, do you want me to wake him up?"

"No thank you Adamai. I'll do it," Alibert said, already halfway to the stairs.

Once he opened his room, Alibert turned on the light and walked over to the bed. The small lump under the covers grew just a fraction smaller. Yugo was still hugging up to the large fluffy beast when Alibert shook him awake.

"Hey there little guy. How was your nap? Are you hungry?"

Yugo slowly sat up, drool stain ran down the side of his face. His hair was matted in place as he slowly blinked at his father. It took him a moment to realized what he was asking Yugo before he nodded.

Alibert grabbed the small child up in his arms and walked back to the kitchen. Yugo was so light that he barely felt like anything in his father's arms. On their way downstairs, Yugo cuddled up to his father while sucking his thumb.

Otomai had filled a small pot with some liquid and turned the fire up as high as it would go. He was stirring some strange powders into the mixture as it was boiling away.

Alibert sat down at the table and started feeding Yugo pieces of fish that he cut up into small mouthfuls. Yugo ate groggily and he tried making sense of what Otomai was doing.

"Now, I am certain how this will help Yugo immediately, but only physically. He'll be back to his normal size instantly, but his psyche will need some time to catch back up. Nothing too much, but perhaps a day of rest. Plus, I'd suggest that he keep up with the bladder regulating assistance-gear for the day."

"You mean… he'll have to keep wearing a diaper," Adamai asked.

Otomai shushed him. "Don't say the 'D' word in front of our patient. We don't want to stress him out anymore."

"Oh, I get it," Adamai nodded, looking over to Yugo who was completely oblivious to their conversation.

Yugo ate his dinner while the potion brewed away.

After a while, Otomai pulled the pot off the flames and poured a white chalky liquid into two small glasses. "Now let them cool before drinking them. I'm going to start cleaning up my set."

Adamai carefully took the two glasses over to the table and set one down for Yugo. The small child stared at the cup unsure of what it was. It kind of looked like greyed milk. The weird liquid made Yugo back away.

"Come on bro, its medicine. And it' totally good for you. Watch, I'll go first." Adamai smiled at Yugo while he grabbed his drink and shot it back with one gulp. The moment the fluid touched his tongue, he immediately regretted it. His entire face contorted as he used every muscle in his throat to force himself to swallow it. A large shudder ran up his spine and he slammed his fist on the table. After a moment of looking like he was truly in pain, Adamai corrected himself and smiled at Yugo. "See? Perfectly fine."

Yugo had a look of complete distrust. He might not have known exactly what the potion was, but he did not like the dramatic epic of expressions that he and Alibert saw on his brother's face.

"Don't worry little guy. I know what to do," Alibert said standing up and placing Yugo back down on the chair. Alibert went over to the fridge and grabbed a pink carton from the freezer. He also grabbed a cup and a metal scoop.

"Oh, come on, I had to brave my way through that and Yugo gets to milkshake-it-up?"

When Yugo saw the ice cream, he started bouncing in his seat and kicking his feet.

Alibert mixed the potion with the scoop of ice cream in the cup and sat back down with Yugo in his lap. He pushed the cup away from Yugo who started grabbing at it. "Not yet, we have to finish our food."

Alibert raised a fork up to Yugo's mouth, but he just turned his head and reached for the ice cream.

"I guess you're right. It is about time you went back to your normal age. Let's go then," Alibert stood up with Yugo in his arms, grabbed the cup, and started walking upstairs. As Alibert made his way to the boys' room, he watched Yugo dig into the ice cream.

In their room, Alibert started undressing Yugo from the toddler outfit and grabbed some of his regular-sized pyjamas. Realizing how puffy Yugo's diaper had grown from his nap, Alibert takes the opportunity to change him into a new diaper; leaving the side patches slightly loose. Yugo finished chomping down on the cup's contents and sat on the rug.

After a few moments of content, Yugo started to shudder and grow. He grew first to his size that morning, then the day before, and finally back to his regular size. The diaper around his waist clung tightly as the elastic stretched.

Alibert could see this all happening within a minute. The potion, whatever was in it, had worked amazingly fast. As soon as Yugo was back to his regular size, sitting on the floor in nothing but a diaper, Alibert swung in for a big hug.

Yugo sat there looking lost and confused about a lot of things as his mind tried righting itself to adjust for the sudden growth. "Uh, papa… what's wrong?"

"Nothing my little gobball. Everything is back to the way it's supposed to be." Alibert was enjoying being able to hug his eldest son again. Having to care for smaller-Yugo made him realized how fragile he had to be. It was nice to have Yugo back.

"Papa, I'm in a diaper and you're crushing me," Yugo squeaked out.

"Oh, sorry." Alibert let him go. "The good news is that you're back to your normal size. But the bad news is that you're going to have to wear these at least for the rest of the night. You had more than one accident since you've returned from your adventure in the crypt. It's just a safety precaution."

"Can I at least have my clothes back?"

Alibert gave Yugo the change of pyjamas and walked over to a basket of clean laundry. "I washed your hat. It should be clean now."

Yugo took off the smaller sewn hat and put his normal one back on, smiling at how good it felt to be normal again.

"Come on, let's go see everyone." Alibert leads him back downstairs where Otomai and Adamai were waiting with bated breath.

When Adamai saw his brother back to normal, he ran in for a big hug. "Bro, you're back! Now you'll only cry once a day. It's a miracle!"

Yugo punched his brother before returning the hug. "I'm glad to be back. Is that fish I smell? I'm starving!" Yugo rushed for the extra plate on the table and dug in ravenously.

Alibert walked over to Otomai, who had packed everything up, and shook his hand. "I cannot thank you enough Otomai. You've helped us more than we can repay you."

"Let me keep the rest of this cursed dust and we can call it even," he asked pulling what was left of the dust in a vial from his pocket.

"Of course, friend. And please come back if ever you wanted to take a break from life in the lab."

Otomai smiled and turned towards the door to the dining room. "Ogrest, time to go!"

The sounds of feet could be heard followed by the small green child poking his head through the swinging door. "Aww, do we have to? I wanna play with them some more."

"Unfortunately, we do. I must get this sample under more testing while it's still good. Thank you again Alibert for such a welcoming visit. You truly do have an amazing family."

Alibert smiled and showed his guest out the front door and into the now clear night sky. Once the two visitors were gone, he locked the door and started picking up the sheets that the boys used for their games.

In the kitchen, Grougal and Chibi were firing questions at Yugo left and right about what he remembers and what he felt. Yugo was starting to remember everything that went on during his curse, and asked about the things that were still fuzzy.

After Alibert finished cleaning up, he ordered the kids upstairs to get ready for bed. While the boys were brushing their teeth, Alibert slipped an extra diaper under Yugo's pillow for if he had an accident during the night. He grabbed a story off the shelf and sat in his reading chair.

Alibert read the boys to sleep, they filled in their favourite parts with their own voiceovers. On cue, as he reached chapter three, the boys were all breathing deeply. Alibert tucked each of them in and kissed their heads. He noticed how Yugo was sucking his thumb and decided not to stop him. It was one of the cutest things Alibert had seen this week. Not just because it was any nineteen-year-old boy, but because it was his boy, and he was going to be just fine.

 **Author's Note:**

This was a story that I was nearly going to trash. I want to sincerely apologize to those who wanted to see more and waited this long for it. My very good friend Mizu decided how this story had too much potential to stay on the back burner for any longer. So, we got a Discord call, talked about what this story was going to be, and how much potential it really had, and she decided to turn it into my first commission story.

I was surprised at how much I ended up writing into this story. There were some parts that I had to look up about, but I'm happy that I could finish it. I want to thank everyone for sticking on for this long, as well as major thanks to Mizu for motivating me to do something like this.

With Season 3 of Wakfu going up as I finish this, I can only hope that something like this stays non-canonical. It was an amazing story that we made together, and I'd hate for someone to think it was a copy of anything.

Not sure when my next story is going to be, or what's going to motivate me to write it. But I'll enjoy all constructive comments that you all can give me. Thanks for sticking with.


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